An OC GOP insider gave me the scoop tonight on what really led to Republican Robert Hammond quitting the primary race for the 69th Assembly District – at the very last minute, last Friday, which was the filing deadline for that race. Hammond ended up pulling papers for the Orange County Board of Education’s Area One.
What my source told me was pretty much what I expected. Hammond did not come up with this scheme himself. Apparently Supervisor Janet Nguyen and OC GOP Chairman Scott Baugh were the ones that advised him to leave the Republican Party of Orange County hanging, with no candidate in the 69th A.D.
Why would Nguyen and Baugh do this? Simple. Longtime Republican consultant and former State Senator John Lewis has been openly backing Democrat Tom Daly, who is also a candidate for the 69th Assembly District, for some time. Pulling Hammond out of the 69th A.D. primary was a gift to Daly, who as an anti-Latino white Democrat stood to pick up some of Hammond’s votes.
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Bingo. You cracked the code Art! Watch and see how much $$$ now goes from friends of Janet and Tom to Hammonds coffers. I guess it’s advice like this that gets Lewis paid the big money.
Didn’t Lewis also help Carlos Bustamonte when he ran for County Supervisor? He’s been around a while.