Alameda County GOP rescinded its endorsement of America First candidate Alison Hayden, Rep. Eric Swalwell's November opponent

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Republican CA14 candidate Alison Hayden

ELECTION 2022

Days until Election Day: 81.

14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

—EXCOMMUNICATION—The California Republican Party “unendorsed” Alison Hayden, the America First candidate, facing 14th District Rep. Eric Swalwell in the November General Election.

—Hayden, who also matched up with Swalwell in 2020, said she did not seek the party’s endorsement in the June primary. California GOP bylaws, however, automatically bestows the party’s endorsement to candidates who win the primary or advance to the top two General Election. Hayden finished second to Swalwell and beat out three other Republicans on the June ballot.

—”It was not because of any animus towards her, but she asked not to be endorsed,” said Hugh Bussell, the chairman of the Alameda County Republican Party. He then forwarded Hayden’s wishes to the state party.

—A meeting was convened last week between Hayden and state party leaders and they later voted to pull the endorsement. Another Republican on the November ballot, 18th Assembly District candidate Mindy Pechenuk, also asked to not be endorsed by the party, but later rescinded the request.

—Hayden, however, did not fully understand the ramifications of having the endorsement pulled, she said, and opposed the decision by Bussell to forward the request to the state party.

—California Republican candidates can accrue delegates to the state party convention based on how many votes they receive in an election. For example, a candidate like Hayden, if successful enough at the ballot box, can strengthen her ability to influence changes to the party’s bylaws and platform.

—In a letter last week, Hayden lashed out at the local and state Republican Party and alleged they are essentially in cahoots with the Democratic Party.

—“I believe that they have exercised their powers in a punitive manner, perhaps in retaliation, that will assuredly denigrate my reputation in its insinuation of wrongdoing,” Hayden wrote. “They have joined arms with the Democratic Party in to control who's elected. This is thuggery.”

—“Let this charade of a proceeding to ‘unendorse’ candidates with sound Republican platforms stand as a testament to their priority: ‘enforcing’ Mafia-like loyalty to the “leadership”, NOT helping to elect principled Republicans to office,” she continued.

—The disarray underscores the fact the Alameda County GOP has never really put itself back to together after a band of Ron Paul supporters attempted to divide and conquer the local party in the late 2000s. Aside from a few successes at blocking progressive Democratic candidates over the years, the party has largely been an afterthought in Alameda County politics.