Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed creator of the Huey Report and direct mail expert, Craig Huey, in-studio to discuss the California recall efforts, Gavin Newsom’s strategy, a Larry Elder win, and how to do it.
Leahy: You know, just because we go on commercial doesn’t mean that we stop talking to each other, because you almost caught us, folks, midstream talking about cool stuff. I’m here with Craig Huey, the digital marketing expert, the California refugee, and our good friend who’s finally come back in studio after about a month’s absence.
We were talking about California and the latest polls on the recall. Let’s focus on who of those possible replacements for Gavin Newsom, who’s doing well in the polls, and then whether or not he’s going to be recalled. The other question. So Caitlyn Jenner: Four percent.
Huey: Yes
Leahy: The guy in the bear suit.
Huey: 10 percent. And then the liberal former mayor of San Diego, he has 10 percent. And then there is Larry Elder.
Leahy: And where is he?
Huey: He’s around 20, 25 percent.
Leahy: Are you kidding me?
Huey: Yes. He is miles ahead of everybody else. And really without an organization, without a lot of money. His name recognition has just put him at the top. And here’s the thing, Michael. This is what’s great about this election. Gavin Newsom, there are two ballots on the ballot.
Leahy: You walk in?
Huey: No you don’t walk in. It’s all mail-in.
Leahy: 100 percent mail-in.
Huey: 100 percent mail-in.
Leahy: Not good. Not good.
Huey: We can talk about that. We should talk about that.
Leahy: All mail-in.
Huey: It’s all mail-in.
Leahy: This means the opportunity for fraud is greater, according to the 2005 bipartisan commission.
Huey: Michael, what it means is two things: Greater fraud possibility. So they have to be on alert. And then number two, they have to out-mobilize Gavin Newsom and the unions. Here’s what’s on the ballot. Do you want to see Gavin Newsom recalled or not? Yes or no.
Leahy: Yes or no.
Huey: And so if 50 plus one vote, say yes …
Leahy: 50 percent plus one vote.
Huey: Yes, then he’s out, completely out.
Leahy: Let’s say he gets 50 percent to say you should stay. Fifty point one percent say you should go. He’s gone.
Huey: He’s gone.
Leahy: The vote is September 15?
Huey: It’s September 15, which he made. It was supposed to be somewhere near November.
Leahy: He accelerated it.
Huey: Because he didn’t want his opposition to mobilize and raise funds.
Leahy: Yeah, well, okay. Because he had the advantage, to begin with.
Huey: Yes.
Leahy: If 50.1 percent or more of California and two votes are counted, say you’re out, on what date does he leave the governor’s mansion? Is it the following day?
Huey: It’s like the following day. He’s totally out. That’s it. Gone forever!
Leahy: Bye-bye, Gavin.
Huey: But we’ve gotta get rid because he wants to be president. (Leahy sighs) But that’s another story. So here’s what happens. Question number two, and about who do you want to have as governor? Gavin Newsom is not on that ballot. And there are a couple of Democrats.
There are 40 candidates running. Porn stars and all kinds of things. There are some really good candidates from a policy standpoint, but they have no money. They have no campaign put together. It’s a hope and a wish.
Leahy: Hope and a wish don’t work well.
Huey: It doesn’t work well. It’s a disaster. And I know these candidates and some of them are really good, but they aren’t going to make it. The California Republican Party is filled with liberal Republicans.
It’s filled with what we call the consultant class. The consultant class is people who are caught 25 years, and they are not conservative. They are not libertarian. They’re just part of the RINO group and the Republicans.
Leahy: You know all of this well because back in 2011 you ran in a special election for Congress in a district in Los Angeles county. Long Beach area?
Huey: South Bay. Santa Monica and down to San Pedro.
Leahy: And you almost won the special election.
Huey: A couple of thousand votes and I would have won in an 18 plus Democrats.
Leahy: We are selfishly glad that you didn’t win because otherwise you probably wouldn’t be here in Tennessee.
Huey: Probably not.
Leahy: You’d probably still be representing – think – that area in California.
Huey: Probably so.
Leahy: But you’d be in the minority in the House of Representatives being fined if you didn’t wear a mask.
Huey: They’d probably throw me in jail.
Leahy: And you would probably not be as happy as you are today in the income-tax-free state, Tennessee.
Huey: That’s right. So there’s drama in California. What they have done is that the consultant class, the liberal Republicans, are trying to have the California Republican Party endorse Kevin Faulconer, the former mayor of San Diego, who’s a liberal.
Leahy: He’s a liberal.
Huey: And if the Republican Party endorses Kevin Faulconer, that could give him the ability to catch up or exceed.
Leahy: And he’s at 10 percent right now.
Huey: Right. He’s at 10 percent.
Leahy: Why not back a very intelligent 68-year-old native of South Central Los Angeles, black conservative, a well-known great guy, Larry Elder. Wouldn’t that be the smart thing for them to do?
Huey: It seems like it’d be the only thing that they could do. But that’s not what they’re trying to do because they do not want to have a conservative represent the Republican Party.
Leahy: Well, we’ll see how that plays out. We are now on July 29. So we’ve got six weeks until the election.
Huey: That’s correct.
Leahy: To me, I think the six weeks right now plays to Larry Elder’s advantage.
Huey: It does.
Leahy: Would you agree?
Huey: I totally agree.
Leahy: Because he’s got the name ID.
Huey: That’s right. That’s why they tried to keep him off the ballot. They knew that this could happen. And it has happened right now. Gavin Newsom on the yes versus no vote, it’s 50-50.
Leahy: Ahhh.
Huey: And remember this, it’s in the margin of error. And remember this. In California 25 percent of the registered voters are Republican. About 26-27 percent are independent. And then you’ve got the Democrats who dominate. And with likely voters, it’s like 50-50. That’s why it could actually happen.
Leahy: Let’s put on our dreaming caps for the moment. Let’s say it’s September 16.
Huey: Yes.
Leahy: And I think we need to have you in studio on September 16. I don’t know what day that is. Probably a Wednesday, but we’ll have you in studio. And let’s just say I say to you, Craig, guess what?
Gavin Newsom is out as governor. He didn’t get 50 percent of the vote. And guess what? Larry Elder tomorrow is going to be inaugurated governor.
Huey: It will be a tsunami. This is why across the United States the Democrats are mobilizing, sending in volunteers, sending in paid workers to California. They cannot allow Gavin Newsom to lose. Here’s how corrupt everything is, Michael. All the candidates, Larry Elder, John Cox, Caitlin, all have a financial limit of how much people can give.
About $5,000 an individual. Gavin Newsom on the yes or no vote has no limits. So unions are writing him checks for $5 million, $3 million, $2 million. And he is getting this money now. He has about $40 million, and he’s probably going to end up with $100 million. But here’s the thing.
Any of these candidates can beat Gavin Newsom on the money because it’s not so much about policy. People hate Gavin Newsom, his egotism, and his elitism. His socialism in California has failed policies of crime and homelessness. It’s terrific.
He can be defeated. But it comes back to this. Who is better to get the data of who their voter is and then get them out to vote. That person will be the winner. And you don’t have to have more money to do that.
Leahy: This is a consistent theme from the data marketing expert Craig Huey.
Listen to the full second hour here:
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Photo “Gov. Gavin Newsom” by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
