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GOP Efforts To Woo California Tech Fall Short
In July 1999, Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush visited Silicon Valley, raised $850,000 and vowed to carry the state. Bush went on to secure more than $6 million from Silicon Valley donors during his campaign — the most ever raised by a Republican presidential candidate in the Valley and spent millions on television ads in the Bay Area.
But in the end, the race wasn't anywhere near close. In Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, the heart of where Silicon Valley employees live and work, Democrat presidential candidate vice president Al Gore beat Bush by more than 25 percentage points and by 12 points statewide. In addition, the GOP lost control of its only district in the Bay Area, CA-15, as well as several other important races in the south of California, evidence that Democrats still have the edge when it comes to the fierce political competition for the heart of new economy workers.
"There was more Republican activity here than ever before," said Wade Randlett, former Democrat political director at TechNet and a Bay Area resident. "But I think what happened is that the social issues continued to haunt them. High-tech workers care about the environment and gun control and the perception is the Republicans don't."
Region Historically Leans Democratic
The region has a long tradition of backing Democrat candidates. No political strategists had expected Bush to beat Gore in the region, but the margin of Gore's win was a surprise to many political analysts. Mark Baldassare, senior fellow of politics at the Public Policy Institute of California, said part of the wide margin of Gore's win was due to low GOP voter turnout of 35 percent, compared to 43 percent of Democrats who voted.
"It was one of the widest margins we'd seen in a statewide election in awhile," said Baldassare. "Democrat turnout was overwhelming and why GOP voters decided not to go to the polls is kind of a mystery."
Baldassare said there is debate among political analysts over whether the GOP turnout was low because they weren't excited about GOP candidates or whether it was the mistaken early call that Gore had won Florida that depressed GOP turnout, and no one has agreed on the answer. What is certain, however, is that Republican candidates didn't get enough independent voter support in the election.
Independents Play A Key Role
"Republicans can't win this state unless they get independent voters, and Republicans just haven't convinced independents that they are moderate enough on the social issues like abortion, gun control and the environment to enjoy their support," said Baldassare.
Given that most of those who live and work in Silicon Valley label themselves independent, the GOP's inability to connect with these individuals is a continued GOP disadvantage in Silicon Valley, which worries high-tech industry officials who fear that they could end up being ignored by Republican officials.
"If you are [National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman] Tom Davis (R-VA) and you are trying to gain more seats in the next Congress, you aren't going to end up wasting time and money here in Silicon Valley if there is no way to win," said one Republican high-tech lobbyist who declined to be named.
Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association, doesn't doubt that Republicans will keep coming to Silicon Valley to see high-tech companies, but with the lack of any Republican congressional members from the region, or in the Senate, he is concerned there will be less enthusiasm by the GOP to stay and discuss policy issues in depth, as they have the past several years, when it appeared Silicon Valley was in play.
"It is important for these members to come out and see the Valley and learn what it is all about," Heesen said. "And yes, they'll come out for the money, but they won't be spending three or four days here to talk policy and the last thing I want to see is this community be there just for the money when they have so much to offer from the policy side."
Republicans Redouble Their Efforts
Aware of that fear, TechNet's current Republican political director Lezlee Westine said Republicans in the area are going to redouble their efforts to find a message that works for independent voters. Westine said the right wing agenda of California's Republican party has alienated some moderate GOP voters, including those in Silicon Valley and she is hopeful that moderate Republicans will take control over the party next year.
"The party has a message problem," said Westine, who helped to organize most of Bush's visits to the Valley. Westine stressed that Bush does not have a message problem; rather it was the party as a whole that needed improvement in this area. "We need to get the message out that the GOP is the party that is pushing the high-tech agenda," she said.
GOP moderates are hoping that next year former Santa Barbara County Assemblyman Brooks Firestone, a vintor and scion of the tire-making Firestone family, will beat state GOP Vice Chairman Shawn Steel, a conservative Beverly Hills attorney, for the chair of the state party. According to the Sacramento Bee, Firestone is part of a band of moderates who want to shed the right-wing image of the party and re-establish its centrist credentials, but in doing so there is concern that the party will lose its base conservative supporters.
"Our party has to go back to the drawing board when it comes to California. It's obvious we have significant work to be done," said NRCC spokesman Jim Wilkinson. "But if you focus on the single social issues, you lose voters."
Especially worrisome to some in the high-tech community is the expected change in redistricting. New lines will be drawn based on the 2000 census data and because Democrats control the state legislature and the governor's office, California is likely to become even more Democratic.
"It's not healthy to have no political competition in the Bay Area or in this state," said another high-tech lobbyist.
Westine said she would work at the grassroots level to support local Republican candidates that could help to inject that competition. Meanwhile, high-tech issues themselves remain bipartisan and the GOP leadership in Congress is likely to keep high-tech issues on the top of its agenda, as the new economy continues to grow. Even if they didn't get the votes, Republican candidates still won the money edge from Internet and computer software donors this election cycle. According to Federal Election Commission data as of Nov. 1, the industry had given $27.6 million, with 50 percent donated to GOP candidates and 48 percent to Democrats. The total includes individual, political action committee and soft money donations.
"What you are seeing is a decline in political unity in both parties and a rise in swing voters, like high-tech people, who are free market libertarians...and we have to figure out a message" that works with them, said Wilkinson.
 | - by Bara Vaida |
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