There is much discussion and speculation as to what Anaheim Councilman Harry Sidhu will do in the November election for the Orange County Board of Supervisor’s 4th District. Because Shawn Nelson came short of the required 50% +1 vote to avoid a November run-off with the 1st runner up, the 2nd place finisher is entitled to a run-off. Nelson beat Sidhu by 12 percentage points on June 8th, but because there were 6 candidates on the ballot he did not receive 50% of the vote.
As I blogged about before, Nelson was the official candidate of the Republican Party of Orange County, receiving more than 85% of the vote from the Central Committee for the endorsement. The race quickly became Nelson and the GOP versus the public employee unions. The local unions abandoned their officially endorsed candidate for Sheriff, Bill Hunt, and shifted their focus to Sidhu pouring in well over a million dollars of independent expenditures puffing him up. Going into November, speculation is that the unions will direct their funds elsewhere with many more races to be involved in. Without the support of Harry’s biggest cheerleaders, it begs the question, will he run a hard race alone?
The Orange County Register reported that Sidhu intends to keep running, commenting to the Total Buzz that “money is not an object” in his vow to continue his race. For readers who may not know, Harry is a wealthy entrepreneur who owns multiple Burger King and El Pollo Loco franchises. He resides in a large house in the Yorba Estate in Anaheim Hills (ironically outside the 4th Supervisorial District.) So without union financial support, Harry could still use personal funds to continue his campaign. Going forward Nelson will have the clear advantage of incumbency and the ability to raise much more money from that position. That advantage puts Harry in a difficult and expensive position to be in.
The Total Buzz article mentioned was published on June 9th, the day after Harry lost the special election. He also commented to the Buzz that “I’m a fighter…I’ve always been a good fighter, and I believe that this is so close – 5,000 votes short – that it’s absolutely winnable. I truly believe I will win in November.” The only problem is that Nelson’s lead has grown to well over 7,000 votes now that all the ballots have been counted. Harry’s campaign staff has departed from his operation, and his campaign headquarters has been closed down. So, he claims he will keep fighting…but really WWHD: What Will Harry Do?
RT @DrunkonPolitics: "Daily Drink-6/15/2010" - http://bit.ly/9yHwJF #tcot #sgp #gop #teaparty
RT @DrunkonPolitics: "Daily Drink-6/15/2010" - http://bit.ly/9yHwJF #tcot #sgp #gop #teaparty
RT @DrunkonPolitics: "Daily Drink-6/15/2010" - http://bit.ly/9yHwJF #tcot #sgp #gop #teaparty
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