Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, his wife Lena, and Assemblywoman Sharon Runner will serve as 25th Congressional district delegates for the Rudy Giuliani campaign in next month’s Presidential Primary election, SCVTalk has learned.
The Rudy Giuliani campaign made the announcement today just three weeks before California’s primary election. In all, 173 delegates for the Giuliani campaign -three from each Congressional district and 11 at large delegates- were announced.
The Smyths and Runner will serve as delegates in California’s re-designed “At Large” delegate system, which has been described by one Republican strategist as a “mini electoral college.” In prior primaries, the candidate with the most votes state-wide won all the state’s delegates to their party’s national convention. The “winner takes all” primary system was changed last year along with California’s primary date which was moved from June to February.
Now, a candidate in California’s primary may take some delegates to his party’s national convention even if he loses the “popular vote” statewide.
For example, if Rudy Giuliani were to finish first among Republican voters in California’s 25th Congressional District but lose to a competitor at the state level, the Smyths and Runners would be Giuliani delegates to the Republican National Convention in August.
Most analysts say that the change to an “at large” system will be a positive one for voters by forcing campaigns to “go local” and focus on districts that may not have received attention in prior contests.
The change in delegate systems may also have an unintended consequence eerily reminiscent of the 2000 Presidential Election: it’s possible that a Republican candidate could win the “popular vote” in California, but not a majority of the state’s large number of Republican delegates.
As California’s primary approaches, there is no clear “frontrunner” for the Republican nomination. Mike Huckabee won in Iowa but is trailing by double digit points to Mitt Romney and John McCain in New Hampshire. Giuliani has largely ignored those two races in favor of focusing on “Super Tuesday” states such as California.
Smyth, the former Santa Clarita City Councilman, endorsed Rudy Giuliani last summer. He told SCVTalk last year that he chose Giuliani because he thinks “he is the only Republican who can win California.”
Sharon Runner recently endorsed Giuliani but her husband George, a State Senator, supports Fred Thompson for President.
Meanwhile, Santa Clarita’s Congressman, Buck McKeon, has been a vocal supporter of Mitt Romney and even stumped for d the former Massachusetts Governor in Iowa last week. Mitt Romney continues to receive large contributions from Santa Clarita residents, including Mayor Bob Kellar and several prominent business leaders.
California’s Primary Election is on February 5.