ICYMI...San Ramon Mayor an unlikely standard-bearer for Contra Costa GOP

By Ian A. Stewart, Capitol Weekly

In a year when incumbency figures to be more of a hindrance than a help, Contra Costa Republicans feel they have something special: A strong, moderate candidate, San Ramon Mayor Abram Wilson, running against a vulnerable state Assembly Democrat in Joan Buchanan.

“I’m happy to say that the party is supporting me,” Wilson said during a pre-rally interview. “But I really believe that to my constituents, it’s about voting for me the person – my ideals, my policies, what I’ve done.”

Politically, everything’s changed (since ’08),” Wilson said. “We were talking about a presidential election year, and I’d had a knock-down, drag-out primary that year – one of the most expensive in state history. Now I have my record, and she has hers. And we’ll both run on those.”

“For one thing, I’ll actually show up to vote,” Wilson said, criticizing Buchanan’s attendance record in Sacramento. He also chastised Buchanan for not using her leverage to secure added funding in her home school district. “She voted for the worst public education budget in history. If you’re going to play the game, you have to play. (Democrats) needed every vote (to pass the state budget), so why not push for better funding in San Ramon Valley?”

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