We just obtained a copy of a very pointed email exchange between Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz and Placer County GOP Chairman Tom Hudson, where Kranz lays out his rationale for his soon-to-be-announced support of Doug Ose, and Tom Hudson castigating him for taking this stance when the more conservative Rico Oller is in the race.

Kranz, readers will recall, considers himself a strong conservative and took a very public and aggressive stand against Assemblyman Ted Gaines for considering taking on John Doolittle.  Kranz is a former Placer County GOP Chairman himself.

Kranz writes:

Hi Tom,
 
Here's my response to your e-mail.  Since it was personal, I am not including it with my response.  However, I believe others need to know where I stand on this issue.
 
I'm sorry some folks may think I'm disloyal in my decision to endorse Doug, but that is simply untrue.  As you know, many of us deal with a lot of elected officials and have been supported by many.  This is the case here.  I personally like Rico, but believe that Doug has a better chance of helping me deal with issues that are critical to my constituents.  Doug and Dan Lungren are both friends and are committed to assisting me in dealing with my issues of catastrophic wildfire and biomass.  Both have experience at the Congressional level and, incidentally, both are very supportive of the Auburn Dam.
 
I understand that I have friends in both camps - Sam Aanestad supports Rico and Dan Lungren supports Doug.  Don't you think I should have the right to support the individual I believe can best help my constituents?  I recognize that some may disagree with me, but this is not even close to the decision Ted made not to endorse John Doolittle - a sitting incumbent.
 
There is one final thing I need to remind you and others.  I have consistently supported conservative Republican principles my entire political career.  I have supported and worked tirelessly for conservatives such as Rico Ollar, John Doolittle, Sam Aanestad, Dave Cox, Dan Lungren, Tom McClintock, Richard Pombo, Doug LaMalfa, Kirk Uhler, and even Ted Gaines in the past.  When I was the Chairman of the Placer County Republican Party I spent hundreds of hours organizing the "Lungren for Governor" effort locally.  Some think Doug Ose is not a conservative and others disagree.  I'll leave that up to the individual to decide.
 
I hope this clarifies why I'm supporting Doug Ose for the 4th Congressional District.
 
Sincerely,
 
Bruce Kranz

And Hudson responds:

Dear Bruce,
 
Your e-mail does not clarify why you are supporting Doug Ose for Congress against Rico Oller, who you have so often supported in the past.  I am left wondering if the people calling me were correct about your true motivations.
 
You say that "Doug has a better chance of helping me deal with issues that are critical to my constituents."  Apparently, you do not think your constituents care about issues like lower taxes, limited government, illegal immigration, freedom of speech for political campaigns, the right to keep and bear arms, taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, limiting marriage to one man and one woman, and all the other issues where Doug Ose has been working against you and your constituents while Rico Oller has been fighting for your side.  You say, "I have consistently supported conservative Republican principles my entire political career," but I think anyone who reads your note would have to add the words "until now."  Let's not pretend this is about the Auburn Dam.  Rico Oller authored and fought for legislation to actually build the dam and it was the best effort that cause had ever seen in the Legislature.  Doug Ose spent six years in Congress and accomplished nothing.
 
Everyone agrees that you have the right to support whoever you want.  Your constituents have that right, too, which is a sobering thought.  You are right that this situation is not even close to Ted Gaines' decision not to endorse John Doolittle.  Ted Gaines was seeking to provide a conservative alternative to the conservative incumbent (at a very inopportune time), while you are seeking to keep a conservative out of office entirely.  Ted Gaines' decision was so troubling to Doolittle supporters like me precisely because he was such a plausible and supportable candidate for Congress.  By contrast, you have abandoned the conservative movement to support a liberal candidate who can only get elected by defeating your own supporters.
 
Hopefully, you can keep your support for Doug Ose to yourself -- unlike your response to my private note!
 
Best regards,
 
Tom Hudson

Also, as reported by Aaron Park on the Placer CRA Blog, it appears that Supervisor Kirk Uhler is also poised to endorse Ose.

This 4th C.D. race is starting to heat up.  Oller, who has many natural advantages in the race in Ose, nonetheless can't be happy about Kranz and Uhler jumping in with Ose.  Oller is still the favorite, but this narrows the gap a little.