Carly Fiorina: Grassroots Update

'Tis the season to get out the vote!

Here are some ways Californians can get involved to get out the vote and help send Barbara Boxer to ma'am land, and send Carly Fiorina to do the peoples business in Washington. I received the following in my email inbox today from the Carly Fiorina campaign:

There are only 10 days to go until Election Day! Our campaign has been steadily gaining momentum in the final stretch, while support for Barbara Boxer has stagnated. Californians want a representative in Washington who knows how to meet a payroll and create a job, not a career politician who has supported bigger government and disastrous economic policies.

November 2 will be here before we know it, and that means I need your immediate help to reach out to voters across California. Here are three ways you can get invoved right now:

• Call California voters from home using our online phone banking system, or text CALLS to CARLY (22759) to use our Mobile Phone Bank.

• Locate a local Victory office and stop by to make calls or walk a precinct.

• Connect with your local regional leader about other volunteer opportunities between now and Election Day.

You can also visit our Online Action Center to get involved in other ways, or download our iPhone app - Carly's Red Zone Challenge. Thank you for your help and dedication. Together, we will defeat Barbara Boxer and bring leadership and accountability back to Washington.

With warm regards,

The campaign also sent along some information about recent events Carly Fiorina has taken part in, and covering some recent endorsements she has received:

Local Democrat Elected Officials From Central Valley Endorse Carly Fiorina

I am excited to announce that I have received the endorsement of a number of prominent Central Valley elected officials including Mendota Mayor Robert Silva. I joined Mayor Silva in Mendota on Wednesday to discuss the devastating impact the state's water and unemployment crises are having on communities across the state.

John McCain, Carly Fiorina Rally Veterans in San Diego

Senator John McCain joined me in San Diego last weekend for a rally with local veterans. I was honored to be surrounded by our nation’s veterans whose service and selflessness ensure we can continue to enjoy the privilege of freedom for generations to come.

Carly Fiorina Decries Economic Stimulus Plan’s Failure to Create Jobs in San Bernardino

On Monday, I visited a shuttered car dealership in San Bernardino and spoke with the former owner and other attendees about the failure of the stimulus to create jobs or help our state’s small businesses. The dealership had to close its doors after decades in business in part because of California’s hostile business environment.

Carly Fiorina Continues Moving Up in the Polls

As election day nears, polls keep moving upward in Carly Fiorina's favor. Wilson Research Strategies released a poll on Tuesday, showing Fiorina ahead of Barbara Boxer by three percentage points. Their findings:

Carly Fiorina currently leads by three points against Barbara Boxer in the race for United States Senate from California.

U.S. Senate Ballot
Total Fiorina 46%
Total Boxer 43%
Total Other Candidates 5%
Undecided 6%

With 6% undecided (nearly all undecided voters broke Carly Fiorina's way during the primary race), Independents breaking her way, having been outspent 2-1 thus far, this is great news!

The RCP average is also moving in Fiorina's direction. They posted earlier this week that Boxer only averages two points higher than Fiorina. Which is incredible considering that average was nine points less than a month ago. Also considering the fact that Boxer's campaign has bombarded the state with negative, deceptive ads.

Californians aren't buying into Boxer's nonstop irrelevant smears. Carly Fiorina is rising above the attacks and talking directly to voters about the issues that matter to this state and to this nation. She maintains the momentum, and I believe will continue to do so until election day.

No, Carly Fiorina is Not Distancing Herself from Governor Palin (Update)

Last Saturday, Governor Palin gave an amazing speech to a packed house at an event hosted by the RNC in Anaheim. While the Conservative side of the blogosphere was praising the speech for its wit, message, and facts, the left-wing media in unison were busy writing the same story. That being the story they created within their own minds, that Carly Fiorina was "distancing herself" from Governor Palin during her visit. I'd post a link to back up my last sentence but there are currently at least a hundred out there, so just Google it.

It's sort of funny to watch one left-wing hack after another file reports implying that Fiorina thought Governor Palin was too "toxic" to be seen with. After all, Carly Fiorina has never implied that she was "distancing herself" from the Governor at all. Quite the opposite, actually.

On 'Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace,' Fiorina was asked by Wallace about this media created meme. Only Wallace played along with this garbage and said:

" I want to ask you one other question. Sarah Palin has been campaigning for Republican candidates in California this weekend. She endorsed you in the Republican Senate primary. You say you had a previously scheduled event.

I mean, isn't the real fact that you don't want to be seen with Sarah Palin because she's not very popular with independents and she, at this point, in a general election would hurt you, not help you?"

Fiorina replied (emphasis mine):

"I'm very proud of my endorsement from Sarah Palin, and I've said that over and over again. But the facts are that I had a previously scheduled commitment for months with a group of veterans and John McCain. I had a previously scheduled group of fundraisers and rallies.

Campaign schedules are complex things, as you can imagine. We got word of her trip very late in the game. And so I'm delighted she game to California. I know that she helped raise a lot of money. And we had commitments to keep as well."

Carly Fiorina was at an event for Veterans in San Diego with John McCain. That event was planned out months in advance. The RNC event in Anaheim was only recently planned. I should know... I had planned on attending on the day they announced it. That wasn't that long ago, and it certainly wasn't months ago. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I missed the event, even after I shelled out $127 for a ticket. Okay, I know that's entirely off-topic but I'm still miffed about it.

Anyway, the bottom line here is that the media is reaching and distracting (shocking, I know) from the actual speech that Governor Palin gave to that crowd in Anaheim. After CNN aired the speech and heard the response from those in attendance... I reckon a left-wing ideologue who habitually abuses their professional position of power to influence public opinion, had no other option.

Update: I just wanted to point out that perhaps the media is projecting some of their fear about the man they helped put into office, onto Governor Palin. After all, it's Barack Obama who members of his own party are distancing themselves from in this election cycle. Also, just ask Diane Denish, the Democrat candidate for Governor in New Mexico how "toxic" Obama is. After his visit to the state on her behalf, her poll numbers dropped like a ton of bricks. She now trails the Palin endorsed candidate, Susana Martinez by 12 points.

Fiorina Has the Momentum

News today that Carly Fiorina is up in the polls and is currently riding the tide of momentum. Reuters reports:

Democratic candidates are clinging to narrow leads over their Republican rivals in two key California races with less than three weeks to go until November 2 elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on Friday.

Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer’s lead over Republican Carly Fiorina among likely voters in California is only one point, 46 percent to 45 percent, down from a four-point advantage early this month.

Neil Stevens over at Redstate weighs in:

It’s no wonder that the Chamber of Commerce, feared by Barack Obama, is ready to spend another $1.25 million educating Americans about the dismal failure that Babs Boxer’s 28 years in DC have been. Since Carly Fiorina started her ad offensive and kept piling on, the polls have been moving.

The television barrage has come just at the right time. While a month ago it looked like Boxer was threatening to take a double digit lead and make the race far less competitive, the newest poll has it a virtual tie.

Yes, the poll by Ipsos for Reuters gives Boxer that tiny 46-45 (MoE 4) lead, which is as close to a coin flip as you can get without managing to register an exact tie in the poll. 55/45 by the math, you can probably find ordinary quarters on the street that are biased that much.

The ads are working. Carly seems to be using the same strategy she did last time: Keep it close, keep it close, and then once it’s almost over, just start hitting, and hitting, and hitting, until the opponent just can’t keep up.

No Ma’am Babs has more money than Carly’s primary opponents did, so she’s not quite going down as easily, but the polling trend is undeniable. Five polls in a row at 4 points or less. I just might have to call it a five seat battleground instead of four, adding CA to my previous list of WA, NV, WV, and IL. The race is getting that close.

This is happening. This is real. We can beat Barbara Boxer.

¡Si Se Puede!

What better time then now? If you would like to get Barbara Boxer out of the Senate, and replace her with a commonsense Conservative, please visit Carly Fiorina's campaign website and do what you can, today.

Carly Fiorina says Boxer is a hypocrite on jobs outsourcing

The other day I wrote a piece discussing Barbara Boxer's non-stop political hits against Carly Fiorina on the issue of outsourcing. I mentioned that Fiorina had called out Boxer at a press conference to return campaign contributions given to her by people who had sent jobs overseas. She said:

“It is hypocritical for Barbara Boxer to put up attack ads on me about outsourcing when she has taken tens of thousands of dollars in donations from campaign contributors that have outsourced for years. “Barbara Boxer can’t have it both ways. If she thinks outsourcing is an evil, then she ought to give the campaign money back.”

Today the AP is reporting that Fiorina is continuing to hit Boxer on this issue for her obvious hypocrisy. From the AP:

GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina on Wednesday called Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer a hypocrite for attacking Fiorina over her record of outsourcing as chief of Hewlett-Packard and challenged her to return any campaign contributions she has received from businesses who also outsourced jobs.

Several recent polls show Boxer pulling ahead of Fiorina in the closely watched race after Boxer ran TV ads attacking Fiorina for laying off employees and outsourcing thousands of jobs with she was chief of Hewlett-Packard.

Fiorina responded to those attacks Wednesday at a town hall-style event on the factory floor of a tool manufacturing company. The event was attended by several dozen local small business owners, as well as employees at Aranda Tooling Inc.

"It is the height of hypocrisy for Barbara Boxer to attack me or Aranda or any other struggling business for outsourcing jobs when she has taken tens of thousands in campaign contributions from companies who do the very same thing," she told the group. "Either she doesn't understand what is going on in the economy or she doesn't really care and this is just political-year electioneering and slogans."

Boxer's campaign didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on Fiorina's town hall remarks

Boxer Outsourcing Blame for Failed Policies

Living in California and having to endure the non-stop political ads of the season, one cannot help but notice that Barbara Boxer seems to be putting all of her political eggs into one basket. Her entire campaign seems to be composed of talking about Carly Fiorina's former job as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard and the subsequent outsourcing of jobs that happened during that time.

In the last few days, there have been a couple of articles coming to Fiorina's defense on the matter. When given the facts, Californians would be making a big mistake to buy into this campaign spin from Boxer. Craig Bartlett and James P. Moore JR. published a piece in the Wall Street Journal titled, "Outsourcing and the 21st-Century Economy." They wrote:

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) has slammed her opponent, Carly Fiorina, for outsourcing jobs when she served as CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has attacked his Republican opponent, John Kasich, for serving on the board of a company that outsources. And other politicians from Pennsylvania to Oregon have tried to use the issue to stir up voter dissatisfaction with the economy.

[...]

Companies outsource for two reasons. The first centers on the nature of the global economy. In today's world, outsourcing can save companies money, reduce the time it takes to deliver products and services to customers, and provide access to skilled employees unavailable in the U.S. Outsourcing also allows companies to capitalize on incentives offered by foreign governments to attract investment. Outsourcing is here to stay for companies hoping to remain internationally competitive.

The second reason U.S. companies outsource is that our own government pursues policies that drive investment and job creation offshore: excessive taxes, needless regulations, lengthy permit processes, a decreasing supply of U.S. citizens with technical and engineering degrees, and a general governmental misunderstanding of how to support private-sector jobs. For example, taxing new U.S. corporate investment at 35%—when the world average is just over 18%—pushes U.S. companies to invest offshore to increase return to shareholders.

[...]

Politicians who accuse the business community of being solely responsible for the loss of U.S. jobs are disingenuous at best. They need to look at their own contributions to U.S. joblessness—and recognize the competitive nature of the 21st-century world economy.

Stating the obvious here... Carly Fiorina made the decisions she made as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard and not as an elected official. It was her job to make the best decisions for her company, given the business climate at the time and considering all of the conditions created by government intervention.

Speaking of which, Investor's Business Daily wrote another piece called, "Golden State 'Outsourced' By Boxer." In in, they describe Boxer's role in promoting policies that have actually created the current economic climate our country finds itself in today. The editorial says:

Sen. Barbara Boxer thinks she's struck election gold in California by charging her rival, ex-CEO Carly Fiorina, with outsourcing. The real story is how Boxer has chased millions of jobs out of state with her politics.

Last Wednesday's radio debate between California's two senatorial candidates repeatedly circled the issue of jobs in a state with 12.4% unemployment, second highest in the nation.

Incumbent Boxer's trump card was that her opponent, while chief of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2006, outsourced jobs. "She laid off 30,000 workers, shipped jobs overseas and says she's proud of her record — well, that's her record," said Boxer.

Problem is, Boxer is a far bigger outsourcer. The unemployment rate in her state is 25% higher than the national average of 9.4%, and the number of jobless Californians is 66% higher than when she took office 17 years ago. Her 90% liberal voting record based on National Journal data has much to do with it. Some of her biggest job-killing votes include:

• The $787 billion stimulus package. Advertised in 2009 as necessary to "create or save" jobs and cap the national jobless rate at 8%, California unemployment soared to 12.4% by 2010 from 7.8% in 2008, as California posted its biggest job losses since 1940. That's a million jobs lost in this recession, according to the University of the Pacific, even as states like Texas with free-market policies gain jobs and draw investment. It's outsourcing on a grand scale.

• The corporate tax. Boxer claimed in Wednesday's debate that she wants to "incentivize" U.S. companies not to ship jobs overseas. Maybe she was referring to her yes vote on S. 3816, which ends the tax deferral for multinational firms. The idea was to hike taxes on companies' overseas operations so they would hire more here. Instead, we've "incentivized" companies to move headquarters and jobs to low-tax countries. Even the Democrat-led Senate knew it was a job killer. Boxer didn't.

• Free trade. In the debate, Boxer patronizingly said Mexico was important to California because it was a top trading partner. No kidding. California's economy is steeped in foreign trade, accounting for 11.4% of U.S. exports, which underperforms its 14% slice of the economy.

[...]

• Radical environmentalism. Boxer says her top priority is cap-and-trade legislation, an energy tax that would saddle California's businesses with high costs based on questionable science. California will pay for this in thousands of lost jobs and billions of dollars of investment that will move to friendlier states and countries.

Boxer also opposes offshore drilling on environmental grounds — and the jobs it would create. Fiorina "stands with Big Oil; she doesn't stand with the people of California," Boxer declared, not getting that Big Oil and its suppliers could provide 70,000 new and well-paid jobs for her state if it could drill from the vast 10.5 billion barrels of oil reserves sitting idle off California's coast.

Worst of all, Boxer has declined to waive the Endangered Species Act against California's own breadbasket, the Central Valley. She approved a waiver for a similar case in New Mexico, but denied it to California. Fiorina condemned Boxer's callous indifference, pointing out that "a nameless, faceless bureaucrat decided the smelt was endangered" and 90,000 jobs were lost.

As water was cut to the southwest Central Valley in 2007, unemployment rates rose above 16% in Fresno and as high as 40% in Mendota; agricultural operations fled to Mexico. Mendota's jobless farmworkers were reduced to accepting charity food from China — outsourcing that came because of Boxer's vote.

With a record like hers, is it any wonder that Boxer's hometown newspaper refused to endorse her?

The senator's long, inept and counterproductive record in politics has left California poorer, less competitive and less employed than ever. If anyone should avoid throwing around charges like outsourcing, it's Barbara Boxer.

Also of interest, during a press conference on October 1st, Carly Fiorina called on Boxer to return donations given to her by contributors who sent jobs overseas. From the Fiorina campaign website:

During a press conference this afternoon, U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina today called on Barbara Boxer to return the tens of thousands of dollars in donations she has received from campaign contributors that, like Hewlett Packard, have been forced to send jobs overseas because of the policies she has championed during her 28 years in Washington.

“It is hypocritical for Barbara Boxer to put up attack ads on me about outsourcing when she has taken tens of thousands of dollars in donations from campaign contributors that have outsourced for years.

“Barbara Boxer can’t have it both ways. If she thinks outsourcing is an evil, then she ought to give the campaign money back.”

I think if Barbara Boxer honestly cared about outsourcing, not only would she return those donations, but she wouldn't support legislation that has helped contribute the loss of jobs in California. Beating the public over the head with relentless campaign ads that only talk about one decision Fiorina made as a CEO, in the best interest of her company, is designed to distract voters from the issues that actually affect them. Seventeen years is long enough to see that Boxer doesn't understand what it takes to create jobs for Californians, much less keep the one's that we already have.

You can check out Carly Fiorina's page over at Organize4Palin here

Sarah Palin's Endorsements Getting Downplayed

It's amazing to me that if anyone else had as successful of a record in picking winners in elections as Governor Palin has, the entire media and political establishment would never question that person's impact on a race. I can only imagine if, back in March when Mitt Romney endorsed Nikki Haley, her numbers had shot up as she took over the lead, the praise that would be heaped upon the the former Governor of Massachusetts.

If you haven't noticed, Governor Palin's endorsements are getting downplayed in the media and from pundits and politico's on both the left and "right" side of the aisle. I say "right" but I really mean the establishment. The most downplayed victory in her column is definitely the California Senate race where she picked Carly Fiorina. I think there are many reasons people who have no interest in praising Governor Palin are downplaying this particular race. For one, it was a very high-profile, widely covered campaign. For two, it's in California, a blue state if there ever was one, and to the narrative creating establishment, that victory translates differently than it would somewhere down south. It's all about perceptions...

The truth of the matter is that Sarah Palin's endorsement of Carly Fiorina had a huge outcome on that race. HUGE! Some hack in the Northeast has no clue what effect Governor Palin's endorsement had in California. But guess what? I'm sitting in California as I pound this blog post out, so I think I have better insight than 'Pundit's-4-Mitt' might have.

It just so happens that I was supporting Chuck DeVore up to the day Governor Palin announced she was supporting Fiorina. I wrote about it here. I had decided then, that I was going to agree to disagree with the governor and continue my support of DeVore. Until he reacted like spoiled child for not getting his way, and proceeded to start calling people names. At that point I took a second look at Carly and decided the "child" had also been lying to me about his opponents record. To be perfectly honest though, the fact that Governor Palin endorsed Carly immediately gave her credibility in my eyes. I've studied Governor Palin on the issues, I know how principled she is, and I know she would never steer me in the wrong direction... That said, I happily voted for Carly Fiorina in my neighbor's garage last Tuesday, and I would do it again.

I talked with a lot of Conservatives from my neck of the woods about the election after Governor Palin endorsed Fiorina. Some did not change their support for DeVore, some did. But everybody I talked to that had been supporting Tom Campbell shifted to Fiorina after Palin stepped in. Campbell had a lot of people fooled, but Governor Palin's endorsement certainly got everyone's attention and that led to a more in depth examination of the race and all the candidates for the voters. In this state of low attention spans, that is nothing short of amazing. In case you haven't noticed, politics are not Californians strong point.

So much for my own personal experiences ... Let's look at the numbers.

From Chuck DeVore's own website from a poll dated on April 22nd, 2010:

Republican race for U.S. Senate in California, in which Chuck DeVore and Carly Fiorina are shown to be in a statistical tie. The poll, with a margin of error of +/-3.7%, showed Tom Campbell with 31%, Carly Fiorina with 17%, and Chuck DeVore with 14%.

I didn't see any new poll numbers posted after that for a long time. I remember complaining about it at the time. Anyway, SurveyUSA posted this on May 24th, 2010 (keep in mind that Govern Palin endorsed Carly on May 6th)

In the Republican primary for US Senator, support for former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is up sharply in the past 2 weeks, from 24% on 05/10/10 to 46% today 05/24/10. Fiorina's support has more than doubled among women, seniors, Hispanics, the less educated, and in the Inland Empire. During these 2 weeks, Former Congressman Tom Campbell's support dropped 12 points, from 35% on 05/10/10 to 23% today 05/24/10.

So when a writer based out of the Northeast says "But political observers doubt that Palin was all that instrumental in Fiorina’s California Senate primary victory," never mind the all too common unnamed sources, that person doesn't know what they are talking about. The numbers in the SurveyUSA poll do not match their theory. I'd love to spend an entire post ripping that whole article to shreds considering the writer uses a certain PPP poll to come to some other conclusion, but I've only got so much time tonight. It's just another hack job, hit-piece in my opinion, designed to kill the morale of Palin supporters, and create misconceptions... Blah blah blah.. When will these people understand that we don't care what they think and that their words hold no weight with us?

In other endorsement outcome related distortions... Today, I kept hearing GOP pundits try to play down Governor Palin's endorsement of Nikki Haley to the extent they could get away with it, and play up Mitt Romney's support. As I previously stated, Mitt endorsed Haley back in March and his support had nowhere near the effect that Governor Palin's did. Nikki Haley still had a low name recognition throughout the months following Romney's nod. Speaking of which, where was Mitt when the 'Good ole Boys' club started to viciously attack Nikki Haley in one of the lowest acts of political hatchery I have ever witnessed? I didn't hear, see, nor read any statement of support from him even though it was clear that these "men" claiming to have had affairs with Nikki, where obviously political operatives. Governor Palin on the other hand, released a statement the very first morning the attacks started. Which calmed the voting public, and helped the Haley Campaign to continue their efforts to seek the nomination.

In all the articles and interviews I've seen downplaying Governor Palin's positive effect on the elections, the person doing the downplaying never mentions an election that happened not too long ago in New Mexico. Susana Martinez won the New Mexico GOP gubernatorial primary race on June 1st. Governor Palin had endorsed Susana on May 15th at which time her and her opponent, Allen Weh were virtually tied in the polls. Martinez ended up getting 51% of the vote, while Weh only received only 27%. Attention pundits, that was AFTER Governor Palin endorsed her. For your information, my mother just so happens to live in New Mexico and she can vouch that Governor Palin made the difference in that race. I have talked to her about it on more than one occasion.

What I'm taking away from this negative downplaying is that all of the power establishments see that Governor Palin has an effect on this nation, a role in the debate, and sway with the voters, and they don't like it. That's too bad because candidates form around the nation are asking for, and receiving endorsements from Governor Palin. If this woman had no sway or had "too many negatives" why on earth would candidates be tripping over themselves to get an endorsement? It doesn't make sense on any rational level but these are Governor Palin's detractor's after all. Since when have they ever been rational?

UPDATE: In no way am I trying to diminish the job any of these candidates and their staffs did. Obviously they all ran very good campaigns and at the end of the day, the victory is due to their own performance. I wish them all the luck in the world winning in November.

NRA Backs Carly Fiorina

The National Rifle Association sent California Republican members a mailer endorsing Carly Fiorina for the GOP nomination in the California Senate race. To be fair they also gave Chuck DeVore a 'thumbs up' for his defense of the Second Amendment. However, as Ben Smith from Politico states it, they made their "preference" of Fiorina clear. He writes:

The National Rifle Association sent this postcard to its California Republican members, making it the latest conservative force, along with Sarah Palin and much of the organized pro-life movement, to swing behind Carly Fiorina.

The card describes Fiorina and Chuck Devote as strong pro-gun candidates, but makes its preference clear, writing effusively of Fiorina, "a gun owner, proud NRA Member, and strong Second Amendment Supporter."

The mailer attacks the third candidate, Tom Campbell, at length as having cast "anti-gun votes."

The NRA issues ratings for candidates like a school grading system. They handed out an "A" to both Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore. Based on Tom Campbell's voting record and current positions on Second Amendment issues, he received the rating of "F."

During the last debate between these three candidates, Tom Campbell had another episode that should make any Second Amendment advocate cringe.



Like Carly Fiorina, I too know somebody that is currently on the federal government "no-fly" list. That person is about the last person I would expect to be a danger to any flight. Whatever criteria they are using is bogus, considering Faisal Shahzad, the Time Square wannabe bomber actually made it on to a flight after his attempted terrorist attack. For Tom Campbell to put his faith into this broken bureaucracy and be so willing to take away a person's Constitutional rights, is frightening. But there are a lot of things about Tom Campbell that are frightening.

Both Fiorina and DeVore deserve accolades from the NRA for their Second Amendment record, membership, and political stance. By displaying a preference to Fiorina, it's clear that the NRA sees the writing on the wall. To them, Tom Campbell is unacceptable and they are making their opposition to him known.

DeVore supporters have been trotting out poll numbers that show him gaining on Barbara Boxer. Everyone is gaining on Babara Boxer. The trouble for Chuck DeVore and his supporters is that he cannot beat Tom Campbell. On the other hand, Carly Fiorina can. So it's pretty clear why the NRA is displaying a preference for Fiorina.

The National Rifle Association endorsement is a high mark for any Conservative candidate. Being a member myself, I trust this group to watch out for our Constitutional right to bear arms. A right that I believe, fundamentally keep us a free people. The NRA understands what is going on in the GOP Primary as well. They know what the score is, so to speak.

It should also be obvious to anyone paying attention that Sarah Palin would never endorse a candidate that is squishy on Second Amendment rights. She, herself being a strong advocate and taking her fair share of lumps from the anti-gun, ultra-left for doing so.

Carly Fiorina scores an "A" with gun owners and Second Amendment activists. She will do a great job as Senator and give California dramatically different representation than what we are currently getting from the ultra-left's own, Barbara Boxer.

Palin Endorsements Are Key in Primary Season

It's primary season and Conservative candidates around the country are all hoping to get a Palin endorsement to boost their campaigns. So far it is proving to be very beneficial for the candidates that have Governor Palin's official backing.

In Wisconsin, Sean Duffy's campaign exploded after the governor threw her support in his direction. They successfully put enough pressure on the very powerful Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and congressional fixture, Dave Obey to plan an early retirement.

Earlier this week in West Virginia, in a race marked by one of those anxiety inducing SarahPAC targets, Representative Alan Mollohan lost his reelection bid.

Palin endorsed, Rand Paul also has a comfortable lead in the Kentucky race.

(Nikki Haley, future Governor of South Carolina)

Thursday, Nikki Haley's campaign announced that Sarah Palin will endorse her candidacy for GOP slot in the South Carolina governor's race. They release the following statement:

GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN WILL BE IN COLUMBIA, SC TOMORROW EVENING, FRIDAY MAY 14TH, TO ENDORSE NIKKI HALEY FOR GOVERNOR

Columbia, SC – Today, the Haley for Governor campaign is proud to announce that former Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be joining Representative Nikki Haley in Columbia tomorrow evening, Friday, May 14th, in support of her candidacy for Governor.

In response to Governor Palin’s endorsement, Nikki Haley said “It is a tremendous honor to receive Governor Palin’s endorsement. Sarah Palin has energized the conservative movement like few others in our generation. She has helped millions of Americans find the power of their voice. I am extremely proud that she has offered her support to my candidacy.”

Nikki Haley, state representative from Lexington, has been an advocate for fiscal responsibility, transparency in government, and conservative values since her first day as a state legislator in 2005.

Governor Palin and Representative Haley will appear together at a public event at 5:30 pm in Columbia tomorrow evening. Details on location will follow.

According to CNN, "Palin's endorsement of Haley puts her at odds with her running mate in the 2008 presidential election, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.

McCain has backed McMaster in the primary. McMaster chaired McCain's South Carolina campaign in 2008."

... So take that Chuck DeVore supporters who claim Governor Palin is John McCain's "puppet."

Speaking of which, it's pretty obvious why those same DeVore loyalists are so cranky about getting their perceived snub. They know that Governor Palin is the top Conservative in the nation. They know that the DeVore campaign could have used the boost in exposure and revenue. They know that Chuck is starting to become a spoiler and may possibly get Tom Campbell nominated to face off against Boxer this November. Doing so would most certainly go down much differently than "the only Conservative in the race" message they have been trying to send. Rather forcefully and usually in ALL CAPS on twitter, by the way.

On that note, I'm still wondering why "the only Conservative in the race" is trying so desperately to send Tom Campbell to Washington. I'm also still wondering why he is running so hard for the second place spot in a primary election, attacking Carly Fiorina, not Tom Campbell (a scary candidate if there ever was one) on his website and elsewhere.

So for now, Chuck will just have to stick it out with this guy

The value for conservative candidates getting a Palin endorsement goes without saying. There will be many contentious battles in the coming months and I am glad to see Governor Palin getting involved. She's never been one to 'play it safe' or somebody to not 'step on any toes' as too many top political leaders are prone to do. She has shown courage and wisdom in her picks regardless of what many armchair pundits think or say. She has picked a number of great candidates to support and is making for a very interesting primary season, to say the least.

UPDATE: Governor Palin made the Nikki Haley endorsement official today on her Facebook page:

Shaking it up in South Carolina with Nikki Haley

I’m very proud to add my voice to Jenny Sanford’s and others in endorsing Nikki Haley for governor of South Carolina. Nikki is a strong pro-life, pro-Second Amendment fiscal conservative who served with distinction as a state lawmaker, a reformer who fought her own party to protect the interests of the taxpayer, a proud daughter of immigrants who worked night and day to achieve the American dream, a wife of an officer in the Army National Guard, a board member at her family’s Methodist church, and – most proudly – the loving mother of two beautiful kids.

It’s my honor to join Nikki today at a rally at 5:30 pm at the statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. If you are in the area, please come by and join us.

In the meantime, Nikki needs our support in her race. She’s the scrappy underdog in a tough competitive primary. Please visit her website here, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Let’s help this tough, proud daughter of South Carolina shake things up in the Palmetto state.

- Sarah Palin

My View of Palin's Fiorina Endorsement from California

I actually lived on that little strip of land for years... Mission Beach in San Diego, CA.

Anybody that knows me, knows that I am a staunch supporter of Governor Palin's. I also happen to be a Conservative that lives in California, so I have been following the GOP Senate primary race for some time. I had studied the candidates and after awhile I came to the conclusion that I wanted to support Chuck DeVore in that race. I followed his campaign, saw him give a speech last month, and even gave him some of my paycheck.

My opinion changed today after Sarah Palin gave her endorsement to DeVore's challenger, Carly Fiorina. It wasn't Governor Palin's endorsement that got me to change my mind about him, it was his reaction to the endorsement that served as a big red flag warning to this man's leadership capabilities. Plain and simple, Chuck DeVore is no statesmen. The statement he allowed to be released by his campaign was immature and derogatory. It said:

“This grassroots movement is actually a grassroots movement,” said DeVore spokesperson Joshua Trevino. “Carly Fiorina thinks she can find the sheepdog to corral the sheep. Chuck DeVore knows they’re not sheep at all. They’re Americans. And they’ll make their own decisions.”

I was dumbfounded that he would let that be released in his name. It shows that he is lacking in class and maturity. Are we not electing leaders here? What kind of leader lashes out and let's his staff lash out in this manner? I think they may be in 'melt-down' mode over at his headquarters but that is no excuse. This evening has really highlighted a serious character flaw in what I perceived as a good candidate.

The endorsement wasn't a surprise to me and it didn't catch me off guard. I had a feeling Governor Palin was going to endorse Carly Fiorina for some time. I won't go into detail as to why I felt that, just know that I did. Thinking that may be the case, I saw no problem maintaining my support for Governor Palin AND supporting Chuck DeVore for the GOP spot in the California Senate race. I stated in a blog I wrote in response to Govenor Palin's "fair weathered friends" awhile back that I don't need to agree with her on every issue to support her. I said:

"Does anybody reading this know anyone they agree with 100% of the time? I sure don’t, and if I did, and that person so happened to be a politician I would start to wonder about myself. I don’t agree with Governor Palin about everything. I certainly don’t agree with all of the candidates she is supporting. But guess what? I’m not going to sit here on my little soap box and have a hissy fit because she didn’t respond with time and resources to my email. I actually never sent her PAC an email about any candidates but if I did, I wouldn’t expect her to put all of her judgment and consideration aside because an activist told her to."

I wanted to maintain my support for the DeVore campaign but I now realize that Chuck's camp would make that impossible for me to do. There is a certain way one can handle the various situations life throws at us. Character shows in difficult times and during difficult circumstances. Tonight I saw Chuck DeVore's character and it wasn't pretty.

So, where does that leave this California Conservative? Considering Carly was my second choice and Tom Campbell is nobody I will support, I've jumped ship into the Carly camp. Call me a flip-flopper all you want... It happens.

I understand Governor Palin's endorsement of Fiorina. It is actually a good move on her part and a good move for the country. I live in California and I know Chuck DeVore has absolutely NO chance of winning in the general election against Barbara Boxer. So why was I supporting DeVore in the first place? Because I liked his message. He said all the right things and I generally believed he would make a good Senator. Not that I ever thought he would actually be a Senator. Another thing I said in that "fair weather friends" blog post was a bit of foresight on my part. I said:

"I am no expert on Kentucky politics but from what I’ve read Bill Johnson is a long shot. So realistically this is a race between Rand Paul and Trey Grayson. To those dreamers that think Johnson stands a chance, considering his poll numbers, you’re wrong. Believe me, I live in the land of Chuck DeVore. He seems on the surface to have mountains of support but when you break down the numbers the guy doesn’t stand a chance. You have to base any political strategy for the end goal. Incremental victories only carry to the next phase. Supporting Johnson only helps Grayson in the long run by taking votes away from his real competitor. Almost ensuring a victory for Mitch McConnell part II."

I should have listened to myself. Nothing changed and supporting Chuck DeVore wasn't a good strategic plan on my part. Besides, I have no problem with Carly Fiorina's stated positions. Governor Palin updated her original Facebook post to reiterate these positions:

"Carly has been endorsed by the National Right to Life, the California Pro-Life Council, and the Susan B. Anthony List. She is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, pro-military, and pro-strict border security and against amnesty. She is against Obamacare and will vote to repeal it and prevent the government takeover of private companies and industries. Carly is also a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. Like me, she is a member of the NRA, has a 100% NRA rating, and she and her husband are gun owners. She is pro-energy development and believes as I do in an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence. She is against cap and tax. And most importantly, Carly is the only conservative in the race who can beat Barbara Boxer. That’s no RINO. That’s a winner."

I also highly doubt she would be publicly trashing Governor Palin, or her supporters had the endorsement gone to the other candidate. Carly Fiorina has more class and professionalism than that. I look forward to helping Carly Fiorina win the GOP Primary and I really look forward to helping her kick Barbara Boxer out of the Senate for good.

In the mean time, please enjoy the best campaign ad I have ever seen.