More than a week before Doug Hassett officially announced his candidacy for the 36th Congressional District, the East Valley Republican Women Federated (EVRWF) “overwhelmingly” voted to endorse Kimberlin Brown Pelzer.
The coveted endorsement came after the group met with the three announced candidates at the time –Brown Pelzer, Dan Ball and Stephan Wolkowicz. Each is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz in November 2018.
Hassett, who lives in La Quinta and has lived in the District for 26 years, said he will not ask the organization to rescind its endorsement and give him a chance to be interviewed.
“It is my modus operandi that everything in life must be earned, asking for ownership without doing the hard work is not in my nature,” Hassett said in an email interview. “If I can prove to (the group’s president) and EVRWF members that I’m willing to do the hard work and earn their endorsement, that’s as it should be. What’s that old saying? The cream rises to the top.”
Hassett has nothing but praise for the group, the second largest organization of Federated women in the state of California, and its leader.
“The East Valley Republican Women are a marvelous group and their president Joy Miedecke is a good and kind person, and a conservative voice to be reckoned with,” Hassett said. “The endorsement for Kimberlin is in part because EVRWF wants to support women in politics and they should. I think if I would have been in the race sooner it could have been different but I won’t be crying over spilled milk.”
Miedecke had equally high praise for Hassett, saying she hold him in “high regard.”
“The federation of Republican Women, according to bylaws, can only endorse members and women can only be members,” Miedecke said.
She would not say when Brown Pelzer became a member of the group.
Ball said he had “no comment.”
