GOP candidate for governor brushes aside endorsements of GOP rival

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Tim Donnelly laughed off a trio of high-profile Republican endorsements for his GOP rival Neel Kashkari on Monday, saying the support represents the party establishment “circling the wagons and trying to protect their power.”

After being asked for reaction to news that Mitt Romney, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and Congressman Darrell Issa all signed on to the Kashkari campaign, Donnelly, an assemblyman from Twin Peaks, responded with an extended chuckle.

“So they endorsed a guy who’s trailing a sex offender,” Donnelly said, referring to reports last week that Kashkari falls behind several GOP candidates including Glenn Champ, a convicted sex offender, in polls. Donnelly has consistently attracted the most support among the Republican contenders, although Gov. Jerry Brown maintains a commanding lead overall.

Donnelly said he was not concerned that his opponent was attracting well-known Republican supporters.

“The vast majority of Republicans do not want to be represented by somebody that voted for Obama, who ran TARP instead of a business,” he said. “The fact that those prominent Republicans want to attach their name to a losing campaign, I think ultimately will be a mistake on their part.”

Donnelly expressed skepticism that Romney’s endorsement would resonate with voters. The 2012 GOP presidential nominee lost, Donnelly said, “because he couldn’t connect with people. He wasn’t willing to take off the suit and tie, roll up the sleeves and get his hands dirty. And what people want is, they want someone who will pick a fight.”

The assemblyman spoke at a Capitol news conference Monday morning announcing the introduction of a bill that would centralize the issuing of permits to carry a concealed weapon to the Department of Justice. Currently, those permits are issued by local law enforcement.

A federal court recently struck down San Diego County’s strict requirements for a concealed carry permit. It is currently being appealed.

“This is long overdue,” Donnelly said. “The fact is that the court made it crystal clear that the way we implement conceal carry weapons permits is arbitrary and capricious.”

Donnelly said he hopes his bill would streamline the permit application process, which would mitigate the long delays experienced currently in Orange County, where there has been an increase in demand.

“I feel their pain,” Donnelly said, breaking into a President Clinton impression. “I really want to see those people get their permits.”

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