The San Francisco Chronicle and San Diego Union-Tribune editorial boards both announced Thursday afternoon their endorsement of Republican Pete Peterson in his bid for California secretary of state against Democratic state Senator Alex Padilla. The endorsements come on the heels of those from San Jose Democratic Mayor Chuck Reed this week, as well as an endorsement by the Los Angeles Times editorial board two weeks ago.
In its endorsement, UT San Diego concedes that Democrat Alex Padilla is an “MIT-trained engineer with good ideas,” but Republican Pete Peterson “is even more impressive.”
“A Republican but hardly a partisan, he has a well-developed action plan to increase voting, make voting information more available, make the campaign finance system far more transparent and have the state office be a helpful, encouraging partner to new businesses,” the endorsement continued.
Meanwhile, the Chronicle called Peterson “the rare candidate for secretary of state who can make a convincing case not only that he can do the job well, but that this office is the focus and extent of his political ambition.”
The Los Angeles Times picked up on the same theme in its endorsement, expressing “concerns that Padilla views the job merely as a steppingstone to higher office.”
“California needs a chief elections officer who is fully committed to the difficult work of modernizing the state’s election system, creating transparent political campaigns and advocating for the needs of voters,” the Times continued. “Peterson should be the next secretary of state.”
California’s secretary of state race is projected to be very tight. As Breitbart California reported this week, Peterson has successfully parlayed his non-partisan, experienced outsider reputation into strong showings in the polls, while Padilla has mostly run a low-key campaign, hoping the overwhelmingly Democrat voter registration advantage in California, as well as an edge in fundraising, will help him win.
“You know, Alex [Padilla] said that voters in California now have a ‘stark contrast’ between who to vote for for this office,” Peterson told Breitbart California in June. “I couldn’t agree more. I don’t think he wants this office, I think he wants the next office. I’ve pledged not to run for any other office for four years if I’m fortunate enough to be elected secretary of state. This is my dream job, and I’ve trained hard for it.”
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