Torgan Declines to Endorse Either of His Former Opponents

Former 50th Assembly District candidate Brad Torgan is declining to make an endorsement for either of his two former opponents, however his campaign advisor has decided to make an endorsement.

Republican candidate Torgan, , has opted not to endorse either Assemblymember Betsy Butler or Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom in the Nov. 6 general election.

“I am honored that both Assembly member Butler and Mayor Bloom have asked for my endorsement,” Torgan said in a press statement. “One of the many enjoyable parts of the campaign was the opportunity to meet both of them. I like them both, and their respective commitments to public service are genuine and sincere.”

“Even though we look through vastly different partisan lenses, I even managed to find some issues of common agreement with both of them,” Torgan continued. “In the end, though, the ideological divide is simply too great and I will be making no public endorsement at this time. I wish them both well and look forward to a spirited debate about the issues that confront California as we move towards the November election.”

The current president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Los Angeles County, attorney Torgan serves as the chair of West Hollywood’s Historic Preservation Commission. Prior to that, he was on the city’s Planning Commission.

The 50th Assembly District stretches from Hollywood and Hancock Park to Malibu and Agoura Hills. The June primary was one of the closest legislative races, top to bottom, in California, with less than 930 votes separating all four candidates out of over 62,000 cast.

Schmidt Endorses Butler

Shortly after Torgan made his announcement, his campaign advisor Scott Schmidt, released a statement to Weho Patch saying that he was backing Butler:

For the first time since moving to California, California’s new election laws will allow Republican voters to cast a ballot that is more than symbolic. That is why I have taken serious consideration to look at both Betsy Butler and Richard Bloom and decided that it is important to make a recommendation in this race.

Betsy Butler has shown a commitment to limited government and fundamental freedoms when it comes to the rights of LGBT Californians.

California faces major challenges. But the challenges were created by Santa Monica-style solutions of government over-reach and over-regulation. Electing Richard Bloom will only make our State’s problems worse.

I encourage my fellow Republicans to support Betsy Butler this November.

Schmidt, a community organizer, is a member of the city’s Transportation Commission and served as president of the LA County chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans immediately prior to Torgan. Schmidt was also a candidate for the West Hollywood City Council in the March 2011 election.