California lawmaker blasts newly GOP Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil as a ‘fake Republican’
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ESSAYLI BLASTS ALVARADO-GIL AS ‘FAKE REPUBLICAN’
On Thursday evening, Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil of Jackson made her shock announcement: She was joining the California Republican Party.
“Since I’ve served in our State’s Capitol, I’ve had a front-row seat to witness the supermajority push California in the wrong direction, having a grave effect on our once Golden state,” Alvarado-Gil said in a statement. “The Democratic Party is unrecognizable to what I once knew and lacks the will to fix the problems plaguing this state. I cannot stand by a party that ignores the will of the people and disregards the core American values that my very community supports and believes in.”
The move was greeted as a huge win by legislative Republican leaders, with Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R-Santee, in a statement praising her for the courage she showed “to stand up to the supermajority in California.”
“Her record on tackling crime, protecting communities from sexually violent predators, and prioritizing her constituents speaks for itself. Senate Republicans are committed to addressing the real issues facing communities across the state and look forward to adding an eager spitfire like Marie to the cause,” Jones said.
Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, also welcomed Alvarado-Gil to the party, saying in a statement that “We welcome all Democrats who have decided that the party has become too radical and too costly for everyday Californians.”
Apparently Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Corona, did not get the memo.
While a plethora of GOP lawmakers took to X to praise Alvarado-Gil for making the jump, Essayli...well, he did the opposite.
“No. She’s not welcome. We don’t need any more RINO’s in the party. We’re all stocked up. Has she even renounced her @KamalaHarris endorsement yet?” Essayli wrote in a response to the California GOP X account welcoming Alvarado-Gil to the party.
RINO stands for “Republican In Name Only.”
Essayli wasn’t finished.
“Make no mistake @AlvaradoGil2026 is an opportunistic liberal State Senator who endorsed Kamala Harris and only switched Republican for political purposes. Alvarado-Gil knows she is out of touch with her district and she knows @ChiefJeramy will beat her in 2026,” Essayli wrote in a post, referencing Livermore Police Chief Jeramy Young.
“We do not need or want fake Republicans in our Party. We need fighters like @ChiefJeramy, a decorated Police Chief who shares our conservative values to fix California,” Essayli added.
He still wasn’t finished.
“That’s funny, I don’t recall her making a single comment critical of her party in the last two years. Does she regret any of her liberal votes in the Senate? Does she regret endorsing @KamalaHarris two weeks ago? Did she have an overnight revelation, or is it more likely she’s desperate to get reelected in a heavily Republican seat?” Essayli went on to post.
While Alvarado-Gil had not yet publicly responded to Essayli by Friday afternoon, her campaign account on X stated that she does not endorse Vice President Harris for president.
It’s unclear whether legislative Republican leaders will stand up for their newest members against Essayli’s attacks, or whether his remarks will impact the party’s attempts at outreach.
Neither Jones, whose caucus Alvarado-Gil now belongs to, nor Gallagher, whose caucus includes Essayli, responded to The Bee’s request for comment by deadline.
HARRIS SURPASSES BIDEN IN CALIFORNIA SUPPORT
Via David Lightman...
While there’s never been much question that a Democratic presidential candidate would win California this year, Harris is nonetheless doing better than Joe Biden.
Harris “has appeared to consolidate the Democratic vote, pulling voters back from third-party candidates and growing her support by 5-points,” said Paul Mitchell, analyzing in a web post the results of a July 25 to 27 Capitol Weekly California poll.
Harris leads former President Donald Trump by 24 percentage points in the state, though that’s still about six points less than Biden beat Trump in the state four years ago.
Mitchell said that “two key parts of the electorate for Democrats, and particularly for the Harris campaign, will be Latinos and younger voters.”
“In our polling we are showing a significant underperformance for the Harris campaign in this important subgroup. And, surprisingly, the elevation of Harris to the presumptive Democratic nominee saw Trump gaining five points in the head-to head while she gained only one point,” Mitchell wrote.
Trump was securing 42% backing from Latino voters, up 20 points from 2000. Harris had 49%.
The numbers present “a challenge that could be the biggest blind spot for Democrats in this election cycle — and potentially something they will be unable to fix in the final 100 days,” Mitchell said.
The situation with younger voters is different. Mitchell cited what he called a “massive viral response” as she gained 4 to 5 points.
But, he noted, Trump still does well, with 31% support.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Wild when people get to that lame duck place where they can do whatever’s in their heart, and it turns out their heart is full of a pulsing desire to throw out homeless people’s canned food.”
- Writer Kashana Cauley, discussing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vow to take away funding from cities that do not clear homeless encampments, via Bluesky.
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