Ronald Reagan

Martin Wiscol writes about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) upcoming visit:

A venue for the rally is still being worked out, with the Orange County Fairgrounds among the possibilities. I'm told that site can accommodate 15,000 people – more if the greens are used.

Ronald Reagan attracted a reported 58,000 to Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley for a 1984 rally. Sarah Palin, my friends, is no Ronald Reagan. But she's not chopped liver either.

No Reagan? Well, estimates vary widely, but the McCain campaign says Palin drew 60,000 at a rally in Florida this weekend.

It's been 34 years since a loser of one of California's presidential primaries went on to win the state in the general election, but U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who came in second to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in February, appears to be poised to break the streak.

The last time it happened was in 1976, when despite losing the California Republican primary to Ronald Reagan by 66 to 35 percent, Gerald Ford became his party's nominee and carried the state in the general election.

For a state that's easily the richest prize of electoral votes in presidential contests, California has rarely been a contender in recent years for selection of a vice presidential candidates.

One has to go back to 1952, when then-U.S. Rep. Richard Nixon was tapped from California to be Dwight D. Eisenhower's vice presidential running mate on the Republican ticket, for the last time a Golden State native was a major party's pick.

As Gavin Newsom mulls a bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2010, he might want to consider the track record of his predecessors: no Mayor of San Francisco has been elected Governor since James Rolph won in 1930. The last three Mayors-turned-gubernatorial candidate have lost: Dianne Feinstein lost her bid for Governor in 1990 to Pete Wilson; Joseph Alioto was defeated by Jerry Brown in the 1974 Democratic primary; George Christopher lost the 1966 GOP primary to Ronald Reagan. Alioto was the only sitting Mayor to run for Governor, although Christopher was the incumbent when he lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor in 1962, running on a ticket with unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Richard Nixon.

As Gavin Newsom mulls a bid for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2010, he might want to consider the track record of his predecessors: no Mayor of San Francisco has been elected Governor since James Rolph won in 1930. The last three Mayors-turned-gubernatorial candidate have lost: Dianne Feinstein lost her bid for Governor in 1990 to Pete Wilson; Joseph Alioto was defeated by Jerry Brown in the 1974 Democratic primary; George Christopher lost the 1966 GOP primary to Ronald Reagan. Alioto was the only sitting Mayor to run for Governor, although Christopher was the incumbent when he lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor in 1962, running on a ticket with unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Richard Nixon.