Fletcher bolts GOP as San Diego mayoral race nears
By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
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(03-2 15:11 PDT San Diego, CA (AP) --
California Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher says he's leaving the Republican Party to become an independent barely two months before voters in the nation's eighth-largest city decide whether to elect him mayor.
The move may raise Fletcher's profile in the hotly-contested race with a crowded Republican field, in a city where Democrats hold a clear advantage in voter registration. Fletcher has lagged in recent polls that show a large number of undecided voters.
The 35-year-old has broken ranks with Republicans several times since joining the Assembly in 2009 and said he struggled with his party affiliation during his two terms in Sacramento.
"In all candor, I probably should have done it sooner," he told The Associated Press. "I've been a member of this party for almost 20 years. We have a system that is set up and designed for two parties, and it's a difficult move. But it's what I believe in my heart is right."
Fletcher backed Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown's failed attempt to end a tax break for companies based out of state and was the only Assembly Republican to back a bill to require that gay history be taught in public schools. The Iraq combat veteran gave a passionate speech on the Assembly floor last year to argue that the military should end its policy of prohibiting gays from openly serving.
Fletcher said he has differed with Republicans over environmental issues.
"The broader issue has just been a reluctance on the part of the Republican Party to be willing to advance good ideas. If it's a good idea, it's a good idea. It doesn't matter which party is going to get the credit for it," he said in an interview Tuesday.
For all his differences, he said he never considered becoming a Democrat.
"Today's political environment and political culture doesn't appear to be geared toward getting people to solve problems. It's geared toward dysfunction," he said.
Fletcher was widely considered a rising star in the state GOP and is married to Mindy Fletcher, a veteran of Republican politics who served as press secretary and senior advisor during President George W. Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns. Still, his move will have little impact on the balance of power in the state capitol, where Democrats hold a 52-28 majority in the Assembly.
Win or lose the mayor's race, Fletcher plans to depart the Assembly when his term ends in January. He may be best known for authoring "Chelsea's Law," which stiffened punishments for child predators and was named for a 17-year-old girl who was raped and killed by a registered sex offender.
Assembly Minority Leader Connie Conway, R-Tulare, issued a brief statement saying she accepted Fletcher's decision. Speaker John Perez praised Fletcher, whose committee assignments are not expected to change.
"He is well respected in the Legislature for his willingness to work across party lines to find thoughtful solutions for California," said Perez, D-Los Angeles.
San Diego County Republican Chairman Tony Krvaric said the switch was a panicked gesture.
"Nathan Fletcher running for office as an independent is about as credible as Rick Santorum trying to run as a Green Party candidate," he said.
Fletcher leaves the party less than three weeks after the county Republican Party endorsed Councilman Carl DeMaio for mayor, snubbing Fletcher for a former businessman who has endeared himself to party stalwarts with his focus on cutting city pensions.
A Center for Education Policy and Law/U-T San Diego poll published Saturday showed DeMaio leading with 24 percent, followed by U.S. Rep. Bob Filner with 20 percent, and Fletcher and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis with 10 percent each. The poll showed 35 percent were undecided.
The poll surveyed 611 registered voters from March 17 to March 21 and has a margin of error of 4 percent.
If no one wins a majority in the June 5 nonpartisan primary, the top two finishers advance to a November runoff.
Filner benefits by being the lone widely known Democrat. San Diego has had Republican mayors since 1992, but Democrats enjoy a 12-point advantage in voter registration.
Fletcher raised $964,000 for his campaign through March 17, second only to DeMaio's $1.26 million. DeMaio has contributed more than $500,000 of his own money to his campaign.
___
Associated Press writer Hannah Dreier in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.
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15:11 PDT San Diego, CA (AP) --