Election 2008: September 2007 Archives

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president Friday, then suggested that the one-time New York mayor is too liberal for conservative voters in the California primary. Associated Press.

Riordan, a moderate Republican who was elected to two terms as Los Angeles mayor, spoke as Giuliani campaigned in the city and visited Riordan's famed restaurant, The Original Pantry Cafe.

"Rudy Giuliani is too liberal for the solid, right-wing Republicans in California, that part of the party," Riordan said. "But I do believe, when it comes to the presidency and the national election, these people may put that apart and look at him as the type of leader our country needs."

A major New York fundraiser for GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has been revealed as the money man behind a proposed ballot measure that would have changed California's winner-take-all Electoral College vote system - and likely benefited Republicans. San Francisco Chornicle.

Paul Singer, a billionaire hedge fund executive and Giuliani policy adviser, acknowledged his role to the New York Daily News on Friday just a day after GOP organizers in California said they were folding their effort to collect signatures for the group called Californians for Equal Representation.

The Chronicle reported earlier this week that Missouri attorney Charles Hurtt III was the legal agent for a tax-exempt corporation called "Take Initiative America," which provided the sole donation - $175,000 - to the effort to qualify the measure for the California ballot.

Former Gov. Pete Wilson, who had many of the problems on social issues that now confront Rudy Giuliani in his quest for the presidency, came out Thursday to endorse Giuliani for the GOP nomination as actor-director Rob Reiner announced he is backing New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic position.

The Giuliani campaign issued a statement, noting:

" Wilson, whose public service in California ranged from serving as Mayor of San Diego to U.S. Senator to two-term Governor, is the latest in a strong delegation of support for Giuliani in California.

"Wilson is currently a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Similar to Rudy Giuliani’s accomplishments as New York City Mayor, Wilson gained prominence by revitalizing San Diego in his eleven years as Mayor. In San Diego, Wilson declared an increased emphasis on public safety and held the city government accountable.

“The Republican Party is fortunate to have Rudy Giuliani as a candidate. Rudy’s executive experience and record of results in New York are unmatched,” said Governor Wilson. “Rudy has proven he is the leader and the problem solver this country needs as President, and he is the Republican’s best opportunity to win the general election because of that.”

“Pete Wilson’s accomplishments in virtually all levels of government in California prove that common sense governing is key to success in public service,” said Mayor Giuliani. “Pete will be an excellent advocate for our campaign and I am grateful to have his support.”

In the meantime, the Clinton campaign quoted Reiner as saying:

Until now, my wife Michele and I have supported all of the Democratic candidates. After watching the candidates debate, stake out their positions on the issues and lay out their visions for our nation, it is clear that Hillary Clinton should be our next president.

Today, I am excited and proud to endorse Hillary Clinton and pledge to do everything I can to elect her.

Hillary has what it takes to get us out of Iraq, and ensure that we truly keep our nation's promise to "leave no child behind."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce this morning the single largest donation ever made by individuals to Los Angeles schools this morning in his latest effort to raise funds for a plan to control a cluster of them. Daily News.

Real estate developers Richard and Melanie Lundquist will donate $50 million over 10 years to the Partnership for Los Angles Schools, the nonprofit organization that will allow mayoral oversight of two low-performing high schools and the middle and elementary campuses that feed into them.

The money donated by the owners of Continental Development may also be used at other schools, according to Villaraigosa aides.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani opened his California headquarters on Wednesday to have a presence in the state for its Feb. 5 primary election.

And, he has chosen Glendale as his base of operations.

Giuliani was not on hand, but folks from his national campaign did show up for the opening at 300 W. Glenoaks Blvd.

While the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton touts such high-profile Latino endorsements as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Sen. Barack Obama is attempting to make his own inroads with the Latino community.

Obama's campaign announced on Friday that has picked up the endorsement of Federico Pena, former mayor of Denver and who served as energy secretary under former President Clinton.

“I look forward to working with Federico to bring about the transformation this country desperately needs. His vision for change as Mayor of Denver and his strong record on energy and transportation issues brings invaluable experience to our team,” Obama said.

Pena said he decided to back Obama because of the change he would bring.

"The challenges we are facing in Colorado, in the Hispanic community and across the country are formidable and it is time for bold and thoughtful leadership in the White House, ” Pena said.

Prior to his appointment as Energy Secretary, Pena served as Transportation Secretary for Clinton.

Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are running neck and neck in the race to raise campaign dollars in Silicon Valley, a key source of funds for both candidates that could have an impact on either’s policies as president. The Hill.

Clinton has raised more cash for the Democratic primary in America’s technology capital, but her lead is slim. Her campaign has collected $1.16 million in funds that can be used in primary season compared to $1.12 for Obama, according to a study of Federal Election Commission (FEC) records conducted by The Hill.

In total political contributions from the valley, Clinton has a $170,000 edge. Clinton has raised $1.43 million for the primary and general elections from donors in the five zip codes making up the Silicon Valley area, while Obama has raised $1.26 million through June 30, according to FEC records.

A GOP-backed initiative to toss out California's winner-take-all system of assigning electoral votes was approved for circulation Wednesday, and Democrats immediately slammed it as a backdoor attempt to hand Republicans the 2008 presidential election. San Francisco Chronicle.

The initiative is a ticking time bomb for Democratic presidential hopes next year, which are pinned on winning all of the state's 55 electoral votes. The measure would award a single electoral vote to the presidential winner in each of the state's 53 congressional districts and two to the statewide victor.

The approval Wednesday by the secretary of state's and attorney general's offices means supporters can begin gathering signatures to qualify the initiative for the June ballot.

Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson's political playbook - a high-profile visit to "The Tonight Show," a splashy bus tour, the efforts to take a familiar actor and reintroduce him in a new political role - contains pages that look eerily familiar to California voters. San Francisco Chronicle.

Maybe that's because the former Tennessee senator has at his side some of the same key aides who, in nine short weeks, helped transform Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger from "The Terminator" into the chief executive of the Democratic-leaning state that is the most populous in the nation.

Thompson plans to formally kick off his presidential bid - shaped around the themes of "security, unity and prosperity" - beginning today with a blitz that reflects his media savvy and his advantage as an actor better known to many Americans as District Attorney Arthur Branch on TV's "Law & Order."

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The New York Times political blog also obtained this first internet commercial for Thompson:

It has none of the history -- or cost -- of the Iowa straw poll, but former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani came out the winner in a straw poll of those who attended the State Fair in Sacramento.

Only 1,622 ballots were cast by those who happened to wander by the GOP booth at the fair and it did not allow those who were undecided to cast ballots.

But the results showed Giuliani the leader with 31 percent, followed by former Sen. Fred Thompson, who is expected to announce this week, with 24 percent. Others included former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 19 percent; Sen. John McCain, 8 percent; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 7 percent; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 5 percent; Rep. Ron Paul, 3 percent; Rep. Duncan Hunter, 2 percent and Rep.Tom Tancredo, 1 percent.