PAY PLAY? ELECTIONS
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California GOP leadership accused of pay-to-play scheme for political endorsements BY BR A D J ON E S
A
naheim, calif.—a political firestorm over alleged pay-to-play politics at the recent California Republican Party convention has burned some candidates who have claimed party leadership used proxy votes to favor establishment candidates for endorsements. After the reelection campaign for state Sen. Brian Dahle’s wife, Assemblywoman Megan Dahle, gave a $40,500 donation to the GOP on April 22, the first day of the weekend-long convention, gubernatorial candidate Jenny Rae Le Roux made the pay-to-play allegation in a text message sent out to Republican delegates that was later leaked on social media.
12 I N S I G H T May 6–12, 2022
“Last night at 8:15 pm, Megan Dahle made a payment from her campaign account to the CAGOP. Two hours later 400 proxies were given to her husband’s campaign for Governor by party leadership,” Le Roux wrote in the text message. “We are not the party of rigged elections. The Republican endorsement should not be for sale. I am calling for the return of the suspicious payment and for everyone to vote their conscience tomorrow.” The next morning, California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher sent an email to delegates stating that he had asked Megan Dahle for the donation. “I asked for and Megan Dahle gave money to the Party that goes directly to
helping win the Assembly seats. Period. End of story,” he wrote. “Anything else is just desperate politics. A Governor candidate should know that we need to win all the way down the ticket. Brian Dahle is a proven leader and he deserves our nomination today.” In response, Le Roux also sent an email to delegates. “I stand by my position that endorsements should be earned, not bought,” she wrote. “Megan Dahle’s transfer to the party just hours before those assignments was over 5X the size of any prior contribution. ... Many of you have known for years that these deals are regularly made. I found the courage to lead with
