Susan Barr
Kern Valley Sun

Last Saturday, the Republicans of the Kern River Valley (RKRV) a group of like-minded, conservative individuals, hosted a luncheon for California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R, CA) at the Odd Fellows Hall in Kernville. DeVore, a self-described “common sense conservative candidate” for the United States Senate in 2010, is hoping to run against three term senator, Barbara Boxer (D, CA).

The six-foot-four, conservatively attired, well-spoken DeVore made a strong first impression. Those in attendance were impressed by the fact that DeVore already has the support of more than half of California’s Republican elected officials. The 46-year-old politician lives with his wife and two daughters in Irvine where he represents the 70th District, an area that includes almost 500,000 people in Orange County. Devore was elected in 2004 and again in 2006. He first held public office in the early 90s as City Commissioner of Irvine. He told the crowd that he has been activley involved in politics since he was 19.

Left to right, Alan Casas, Lynn McGarrity and Chad Whiteley sit at the head table and listen to Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) at a March 14 Republicans of the Kern River Valley luncheon held at the Odd Fellows Hall in Kernville.

Mac McDaniels, a board member of RKRV, stated that the club was very pleased that DeVore accepted their invitation to visit the valley and spend some time with local residents. McDaniels added, “We feel that it is extremely important to invite Republican candidates to the area so that interested citizens can meet with them and learn where they stand on important issues.”

That was exactly what took place last weekend when the assemblyman made his presentation to the 50 plus crowd in attendance.

On his website www.chuckdevore.com, DeVore states “I am a candidate for the United States Senate because I love America and its founding principles. My politics and my public career testify to my belief in those principles.”

It was a similar message that he shared on Saturday afternoon. In his speech, he shared his viewpoints on key issues, as well as stressing what he believes to be crucial factors in running a successful campaign; utilizing the Internet as a tool to get to the masses.

DeVore recognizes the significance of reaching out and wooing an online audience early in the game. His campaign website is up and running; computer savvy voters can read about his position on important issues, keep up with his blog, sign up for email updates, make donations, and even have a chuckle over the interactive “Obama Tax Calculator.” If this sounds familiar, it should. As DeVore stated on the weekend, “I am shamelessly copying everything our new President did in his highly effective online campaign.” DeVore also has pages on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, which he routinely updates.  

If the enthusiastic reception, plethora of questions and constant head nodding were any indication, it seemed that Devore was preaching to the choir in Kernville last weekend. No doubt, he’ll be facing some stiff competition down the road, but for the time being, at least in Kernville, it looks like some converts have already been made.