Received this press release today from the Greg Pettis for CA 80th Assembly District campaign. Pettis presently has the overwhelming support of labor and LGBT groups in his race to replace the termed-out, thank the deity, State Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia (R-CA). Pettis, much to the chagrin of his opponents, is also picking up key endorsements from the ethnic minority and multicultural communities.
Pettis has also significantly outraised and outspent his Democratic opponents each reporting period. According to The Desert Sun, in the last reporting period, Pettis raised and spent more monies than all of these Democratic opponents combined. Of interest, Pettis also outraised his presumptive Republican opponent, Gary Jeandron, by a significant margin!
Add to this the fact that the current voter registration favors the Democrats. Thanks to the local Democratic clubs, activists have shifted the 80th AD voter registration from a majority Republican in 2000, to a more than 15,000 voter advantage at present. And, this does not include the Decline to State voters which have been since 2004 trending Democratic. Bodes well for a Pettis candidacy in November 2008.
Here is the text of the press release:
For Immediate Release
April 8, 2008For More Information, contact Richard Oberhaus 760-413-7938
Cathedral City Councilmember Greg Pettis picked up four critical endorsements in the last week from labor and a Latino group, both keys to winning the 80th Assembly District.
More below the flip…
Earlier today, the California AFL-CIO Committee on Public Education endorsed Pettis for the 80th Assembly District. They join the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) who represent 179,000 workers in California and the California State Council of Laborers, who had previously endorsed one of Pettis’s primary election opponents.
Pettis also won the endorsement of HONOR PAC, a statewide Latino group representing Latino and Latina LGBT communities.
The four endorsements cemented Pettis’s position as frontrunner in the Democratic primary in the race to replace Bonnie Garcia, who is prohibited by term limits from serving another term in the 80th Assembly District.
Pettis has previously won endorsements from all the Central Labor Councils representing the 80th Assembly District as well as the California League of Conservation Voters, Cathedral City Professional Firefighters, Progressive Majority, Democracy for America and the Victory Fund.
He has also raised more money than any Democrat running for the 80th Assembly District and has more individual donors than any other candidate.
“We are building a broad-based grassroots coalition that will continue to build momentum through November. Residents of the 80th are coming together behind the need to bring experience to Sacramento to change the way Sacramento works and create a healthier California for all of us,” Pettis said.
Other unions endorsing Pettis include the Building Trades Union of California, Cathedral City Professional Firefighters, San Bernardino/Riverside Counties Central Labor Council, San Diego/Imperial Counties Central Labor Council, and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 440.
LGBT community electeds, organizations and activists endorsing Pettis thus far include U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, State Senator Carol Migden, State Assemblyman Mark Leno, Palm Springs City Councilwoman Ginny Foat, Palm Springs City Councilman Rick Hutcheson, Cathedral City City Councilman Paul Marchand, Desert Hot Springs City Councilman Karl Baker, the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club, the Inland Stonewall Democratic Club, the Victory Fund, and Bill and Brad Adams, Bill Cain-Gonzalez, Cynthia Davis, Desert Stonewall Democrats Public Relations Chair Donald W. Grimm, Ph.D., Bond Shands, Desert Stonewall Democrats Treasurer Robert Silverman, and Lynn Worley.
Latino and Latina community activists endorsing Pettis include Palm Springs Democratic Club co-founder Lisa Arbelaez, Christopher Arellano, Larry Baza, Bill Cain-Gonzalez, Tony & Sylvia Escobedo, Mayon Gonzalez, Rodolfo Martinez, Leticia Quezada, Nicole Ramirez, 41st Congressional District Candidate Rita Ramirez-Dean, Ph.D., Dan Ruiz, Ed Torres, and Joe Velasquez.