Mercury News claimed CA ballot initiative has "bipartisan support," cited one donor whose "main interest is GOP power"

The November 11 "Capitol Beat" column in the San Jose Mercury News on donors supporting a controversial proposal to award California's electoral votes by congressional district featured the headline: "Election initiative reveals bipartisan support: Election initiative enjoys surprising bipartisan support." Referring to the funding for the initiative provided by a supporter of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's (R) presidential campaign, the article asserted that "[t]he Rudy Giuliani California conspiracy theory took a hit last week when supporters of an electoral college initiative revealed their list of donors." The article reported that the list "included those who support other Republican presidential candidates and even -- gasp -- Democratic hopefuls." However, as evidence of this purported "bipartisan support," the article named only a single donor who has contributed to both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates - Robert Day, chairman of the Trust Company of the West, who "has supported [Sen. John] McCain [R-AZ] and two Democrats: U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut." But, the article went on to report, "[T]hough Day has contributed $4,600 to Clinton and $2,300 to Dodd, his main interest is GOP power: He's given $48,000 to GOP causes this year, including $25,000 to the RNC."

Further, while highlighting the initiative's purported "bipartisan support," the article did not note, as Media Matters for America has documented, that the initiative was proposed by Thomas Hiltachk, a lawyer with ties to the California Republican Party, and was endorsed by the party's state convention. In September, Hiltachk resigned from the committee supporting the initiative. In October, the effort to pass the initiative was reportedly revived by Republican political strategists Ed Rollins and Dave Gilliard and former Giuliani deputy campaign manager Ann Dunsmore.

From the November 11 edition of The Mercury News' "Capitol Beat":

Capitol Beat: Election initiative reveals bipartisan support

ELECTION INITIATIVE ENJOYS SURPRISING BIPARTISAN SUPPORT

The Rudy Giuliani California conspiracy theory took a hit last week when supporters of an electoral college initiative revealed their list of donors.

Democrats have insisted that the initiative's supporters are nothing more than Giuliani toadies trying to steal the election by changing the way the state awards its electoral votes.

But the list of donors included those who support other Republican presidential candidates and even -- gasp -- Democratic hopefuls.

Former Univision chairman and CEO Jerry Perenchio, who contributed $50,000, supports Sen. John McCain; Newport Beach investor Duane Roberts, who also gave $50,000 to the effort, has contributed money to McCain, Giuliani and ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Silicon Valley venture capitalist E. Floyd Kvamme, who gave $50,000, has contributed to Giuliani.

And Robert Day, chairman of Trust Company of the West, who gave $45,000 to the initiative, has supported McCain and two Democrats: U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut.

"It's pretty obvious we have a broad base of support," said Dave Gilliard, the spokesman for the ballot proposal. "The Democrats' argument (that the initiative was hatched and run by Giuliani) doesn't hold any water."

But the greater point, says Chris Lehane, Democratic strategist for the opposition campaign, is that the contributors want to give Republicans an advantage in the presidential campaign -- regardless of who their nominee is -- by dividing California's electoral college votes by congressional district. That would guarantee the GOP nominee up to 20 electoral votes he wouldn't get under the current winner-take-all system.

A look at past political contributions shows broader ambitions on the part of the initiative backers. Perenchio, for instance, has contributed $79,200 this year to various Republican causes, including $53,500 to the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Republican National Committee. Over the years, he's given millions to other GOP causes, including $9 million to the GOP-linked Progress for America since 2004.

And though Day has contributed $4,600 to Clinton and $2,300 to Dodd, his main interest is GOP power: He's given $48,000 to GOP causes this year, including $25,000 to the RNC.