Bruce McPherson quits GOP as he seeks seat on Santa Cruz board

[JohnDoe2]

Bruce McPherson quits GOP as he seeks seat on Santa Cruz board

Bruce McPherson, a former state legislator and secretary of state who is now seeking a seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, is quitting the Republican Party, citing the "strident" nature of partisan politics.

"That's who I am," McPherson was quoted in a San Jose Mercury-News article. "During my years in the California Legislature, I was widely recognized as the most independent voice in either the Assembly or the Senate. Now more than ever I think we need leaders who make decisions for the community and the people, not what's best for the party."

"It's as strident as I've ever known it to be," McPherson said of partisan politics. "I don't want to be identified as right or left."

McPherson is a moderate former Santa Cruz Sentinel editor who had been hailed as the only Republican who can win in heavy Democratic Santa Cruz County. He's now locked in a runoff duel with Democrat Eric Hammer, having failed by 48 votes to achieve an outright majority and election in the June 5 primary election. But he says his decision to re-register as a "declined to state" voter is not connected to his looming runoff.

Capitol Alert: Bruce McPherson quits GOP as he seeks seat on Santa Cruz board