San Bernardino County turns "BLUE"

California Political Desk

October 13, 2008

SAN BERNARDINO, CA -- San Bernardino County, the largest county in the United States, has officially turned "blue" with more Democrats than Republicans registered to vote for the first time in more than seven years.

Weekly statistics released this morning by County Registrar of Voters Kari Verjil reported 314,452 Democrats and 311,576 Republicans, giving the Democrats a lead of 2,876 registered voters throughout the county.

Democrats registered 4,423 new voters last week and gained 2,976 on the Republicans who registered only 1,447 new voters. It is the largest weekly gain for San Bernardino County Democrats in more than a decade.

"This is the fourth week in a row we have turned in more than two thousand Democrats," County Democratic Party Vice-Chair Patrick Kahler said. "This even tops last week as our single largest weekly gain since the February Presidential primary."

Long touted by Republicans as "the largest red county in the nation," San Bernardino leaves the ranks of red counties such as San Diego, Orange and Riverside, to join the ranks of blue counties along with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Napa, Marin, Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Cruz and Mendocino.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, the Democrats hosted a "San 'BLUE-nardino' County Celebration" which featured actor and activist Ed Asner, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, Congressman Joe Baca, California Democratic Party Chair Art Torres, Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico and Los Angeles County Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman.

"The steady progression of Democratic voter registration reflects this County's dissatisfaction with the Republican incumbents, the lack of leadership they have provided, and the hope offered by Democrats of restored principles and attention to middle class values," said Tim Prince, Democratic nominee for the 41st Congressional District.

"The Democrats have superior headquarters, superior clubs involving grassroots people, and a focus on restoring jobs to America, opportunity to the economy, and hope inspired by new voters," Prince said.

"Democrats are energized and people are waking up to the fact that voting Democratic is in their best interest," said Carol Robb, Chair of the County Democratic Party.

"Narrowing the gap of registration is just the tip of the iceberg," Robb said. "We expect a 'Big Blue' tsunami in November."

Kahler manages an organization known as "Blue County" and manages its website at www.BlueCounty.net.

"Since Blue County was organized in February 2007 there have been over 50,000 new registered Democrats due to the great efforts of voter registration drives by clubs, individuals, and candidates throughout the county," Kahler said.

"In the last 15 months there have been 52,000 new Democrats registered in this County," said Kahler. "Democrats now have the two largest counties in the nation, this one and Coconino in Arizona, are now blue. Nye County in Nevada is now the largest red county in the country."

The dramatic shift in registration has been attributed to the wide-spread corruption of locally elected Republicans, the popularity of the Obama Presidential campaign, the condition of the region's economy, and a backlash against massive voter fraud recently committed by a crew of Republican contractors who disappeared after county Democrats caught them committing felony violations of the state elections code.

In the four weeks since Mark Jacoby and his Young Political Majors fled the county to avoid criminal prosecution, leaving only volunteers to register Republicans, Democrats have registered 6,165 more voters than the Republicans have.

San Bernardino County covers more than twenty thousand square miles, stretching from the border of Los Angeles County on the west to the Nevada state border on the north and the Colorado River and Arizona state border on the east.

In 1810, Franciscans gave the name San Bernardino to the highest peak in southern California, in honor of St. Bernardino of Siena, and named the county San Bernardino. The county was formed from parts of Los Angeles County in 1853.

Residents of note include Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and the Earp family. Wyatt Earp lived in San Timoteo Canyon, Colton, Vidal, and Earp, named after him, where he owned a gold mine in the nearby Whipple Mountains.

His father, Nicholas Earp, was a Justice of the Peace, coroner, judge and preacher. His brother Virgil, a U.S. Marshall, lived in Vanderbilt, and his brothers James and Morgan are buried in the county.

Other famous residents include McDonald's founders, Dick and Mac McDonald, Taco Bell founder Glen Bell, and professional soccer player Landon Donovan.

San Bernardino County has been a predominantly Republican county, with Bill Clinton in 1996 being the last Democrat to win a plurality in the county. However, the county is split between heavily Latino and Democratic areas, and more conservative areas.