California's most rural state senator declares candidacy for governor

Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) declared his candidacy for Governor of California yesterday, becoming the first to challenge Governor Gavin Newsom since the recall election in September, 2021.  I've written about Dahle previously, here and here.  He represents the largest (in land area) Senate district in the state, in far northern and northeastern California, adjacent for miles to Oregon and Nevada.  

I'm surprised by his candidacy, mostly because he doesn't seem to have the proverbial snowball's chance in Hell of winning.  One reason for that is the imbalance in funds:  Dahle, who has served in the legislature since 2014, has $200,000 in his legislative re-election campaign fund, while Newsom has a war chest of $25million.  

I found the coverage of Dahle's announcement by the two California newspapers I regularly read of interest.  First, the Sacramento Bee failed to even use Dahle's name in its headline, while using Newsom's first and last names, "Republican challenging Gavin Newsom faces uphill battle and $25 million war chest."  Here's an excerpt: 

Brian Dahle stood before a crowd of supporters in Redding on Tuesday and said he wants to win back California from the “corruption” of one-party rule under Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

“I love California, this amazing, beautiful state that used to be the land of opportunity,” he said. “But its leadership is so poor that people are running for the state line...trust me, if you get four more years of this dictator, it will cost you a lot more."

The Bee's story, by Lara Korte, closes with this quote from a spokesperson for Governor Newsom:

Nathan Click, a spokesman for the governor’s campaign, said Dahle’s announcement shows a “sad state of affairs for the California Republican Party.”

“They are trying to pass off the same milque-Trump-toast that Californians soundly rejected last year,” Click said in a statement.

That seems a bit of hyperbole--the Trump comparison, that is--given that a Republican consultant, Rob Stutzman, said Dahle is viewed as "serious lawmaker," who understands the role of policymaking in legislation.  But then, this is a partisan business.  Also, the "sad state of affairs" in the California GOP sure sounds like a put down of the state's rural reaches.  What else could it mean given that Dahle is not, after all, Larry Elder, the radio talk show host who led the candidates to replace Newsom in last year's recall effort.   

The local public radio story noted that Dahle had referenced "socialist, special interests" in his announcement.  He also called Newsom a "wine merchant," a reference to Newsom's first business, which he parlayed into a major hospitality empire in the greater Bay Area.  

Interestingly, another home page Bee story about a rural Republican assemblyman also failed to name the lawmaker, leading with this opaque headline: "California Assembly Republicans Have a New Leader: 'I Plan to Build on her Legacy.'" This story is about James Gallagher, who represents a district not far north of Sacramento, including parts of Butte, Yuba, Sutter, Tehama, Colusa and Glenn counties, taking over leadership of the Republican caucus.  (Gallagher happens to be a graduate of UC Davis School of Law).  The woman referenced in the headline is his predecessor in that role, Marie Waldron of Escondido.  There are 19 Republicans in the Assembly. 

Here are those stories in the Bee, side by side, not a Republican actually named in either.  Is this because they're Republican?  or because they're rural? 

The Los Angeles Times headline about Dahle's candidacy was "Republican State Sen. Brian Dahle to Challenge Newsom for Governor of California."  That looks like progress, perhaps something approaching parity, in comparison to the Bee in that at least Dahle's name gets into the headline.  Here's an excerpt from the story:

At a news conference in Redding announcing his candidacy, Dahle expressed confidence that California voters are yearning for political change. He blamed California’s ongoing struggles with crime, homelessness and a high cost of living on policies embraced by Newsom and the Democratic leadership at the state Capitol.

“I am not willing to leave this broken California to my children, your children and our grandchildren,” Dahle said. “I cannot stand aside and watch corrupt one-party rule continue to poison the future of our state.”

* * *

Dahle’s background and politics offer a stark contrast to Newsom, the son of an appellate court judge who had connections to the highest echelons of the Democratic establishment in liberal San Francisco. There, Newsom rose to national political prominence during his two terms as mayor. He then served eight years as lieutenant governor before being elected governor in 2018.

Dahle represents the northeastern corner of California, a far-reaching legislative district in one of the most conservative and rural areas of the state. A rancher and owner of the Big Valley Seed Co., Dahle lives in Bieber, a tiny town 250 miles north of Sacramento with a population of about 260.

Dahle served on the Lassen County Board of Supervisors before he was elected to the state Assembly in 2012.

It's also interesting that Dahle chose to make his announcement in Redding, the largest city in the area he serves with just over 100,000 residents, but also a focus of recent news coverage because a militia associated campaign successfully recalled a Republican county supervisor who did not resist the governor's mask mandate and other public health measures.  Read and listen to more here, here, and here.