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Buoyed by a flush
bank account and the prospect that members' votes will matter in
a presidential primary for the first time in decades, GOP
members at their annual convention near San Francisco voted for
a change to longtime party bylaws to allow former state Senator
Jim Brulte to run again next year to be the party's chairman.
"I think he's a great chairman and he's done a lot for the
party," said Michael Escoto, 35, a delegate from Los Angeles.
Brulte's strong hand guiding normally fractious California
Republicans was clear throughout the three-day convention, where
newly energized members were courted by all three candidates
vying for the national party's presidential nomination - Donald
Trump, John Kasich and Ted Cruz - along with Carly Fiorina, who
is joining Cruz' campaign as his potential running mate.
Since Brulte took the helm of the then-faltering party in 2013,
the California GOP has gone from having less than $200,000 in
the bank to its current cash on hand of $4.5 million, according
to state campaign finance records.
Now, positions cut during layoffs a few years ago have been
replaced, and the party's annual convention - previously a
sleepy affair - was packed with delegates and guests.
The possibility that California's June primary will matter in
the presidential race for the first time in decades if
frontrunner Donald Trump does not secure enough delegates before
then has energized members.
On Friday, anti-Trump protesters blocked the road to the Hyatt
Regency hotel near San Francisco International Airport where the
convention was held, engaging in scuffles with police and
throwing eggs a day after chaotic demonstrations against the
candidate in Orange County.
Inside, his speech drew a standing ovation, as did appearances
later in the weekend by Kasich, Cruz and Fiorina.
Still, Brulte will face a difficult road in a state where
Democrats hold all statewide-elected offices and dominate both
houses of the legislature.
The Californian Republic Party has become fractured, splitting
among Tea Party conservatives, anti-immigration activists,
libertarians and an increasingly alienated moderate old guard.
There were just under 4.8 million Republicans registered in the
state as of Jan. 3, bringing the total down to 27.6 percent of
the electorate from 30.4 percent in 2012.
(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Alan Crosby)
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