California GOP worried over top-two governor race

California Republicans who have been trying to rebrand the party as more inclusive and attuned with the issues that Californians care about had hoped this year to offer a candidate for governor who fit that image.

Now they are facing the prospect of a conservative gubernatorial nominee who is on probation for carrying a loaded gun into an airport, is accused of race-baiting and is best known for his far-right positions on gun control and immigration.

While Republicans don’t expect to unseat Gov. Jerry Brown, Tim Donnelly’s rise over businessman Neel Kashkari has alarmed party leaders. They worry the assemblyman’s candidacy is setting back the rebranding and could hurt other candidates.

Donnelly said establishment support for Kashkari shows the “political class circling the wagons trying to protect their power.”