The challenger to Attorney General Kamala Harris is Republican Ron Gold, http://rongold.org/ a former California deputy attorney general whose positions don’t always line up with the stances often associated with Republican candidates.
Read his press releases. Gold supports legalizing marijuana and backs the U.S. Senate immigration plan and a path to citizenship.
Gold calls for swift, compassionate judgment for the wave of immigrants crossing the border. An immigrant himself from Canada, Gold says he wants to grant protections for those immigrants who are truly refugees from crimes and hardships while swiftly deporting gang members and criminals.
He also supports President Obama’s plan for the billions of dollars to deal with the immigration crisis, including money for more judges to determine the immigrants true status.
Gold favors the full legalization of marijuana as has occurred in Colorado. He says, “Like the failed prohibition of alcohol, it’s time to change the failed criminalization of marijuana.” And, “It is common sense, reasonable and rational to change laws that have driven the market for marijuana into the hands of drug cartels and street gangs.”
When the Los Angeles city attorney sought and received a judge’s order to close down a medical marijuana farmer’s market, Gold issued a release siding with the farmers.
More traditionally, Gold called on A.G. Harris to appeal the anti-death penalty ruling issued by an Orange County judge and supports an initiative idea to strengthen the death penalty offered by three former California governors.
All this may be a sideshow, since few believe Harris will be challenged for the job she now holds despite capturing the post by a narrow margin four years ago. Gold has inadequate money to advertise his views.
How will the Republican base accept his views? Could Gold draw Democrats and Independents who have similar positions on the death penalty, marijuana legalization and immigration reform?
The odds are we won’t know. Without the resources to test his positions with voters, most will likely vote based on the Attorney General’s name recognition and most importantly, the party designations accompanying the names on the ballot.