The various tracking polls might have California state Sen. Brian Dahle lagging behind incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom in the Golden State's gubernatorial race, but the Republican challenger hardly views his upset bid as an uphill climb.
"At the end of the day, Californians know that Gavin Newsom spends a lot of money and gets no results. We have the highest taxes and the highest inflation in the nation," Dahle told Newsmax Thursday afternoon, while appearing on "John Bachman Now" with hosts John Bachman and Bianca de la Garza.
California also has "the highest poverty rate [in America] and the most homeless people" of any other state in the union, added Dahle, currently a state senator.
Dahle supports the bipartisan effort to eradicate homelessness in his state. However, he's still baffled by how Newsom greenlit a $20 billion program to end homelessness in California — which essentially comes out to $75,000 per homeless person — which "actually increased homelessness by 22,000" people.
The Republican challenger's long-term message, which he repeatedly drove home in this week's televised debate with Newsom: There are better ways to accomplish many of the same goals for California residents.
"Californians know that [Newsom] talks a lot. But if you tell a lie many times, it doesn't mean it's true," said Dahle, when lamenting many of Newsom's prior crusades to help California's economy, homelessness, and high crime rates.
"And crime keeps going up," says Dahle. "That's why we'll see a red wave here in California."
Even if Dahle doesn't win the governor's office, he remains supremely confident of the Republicans' down-ticket chances in the various state House, Senate, and school board races.
"The middle-class Democrats and independents are coming to our side," says Dahle.
Regarding the continual rise in crime, Dahle points to how Newsom — then the state's lieutenant governor in 2014 — favored California's Proposition 47.
From Dahle's perspective, the legislation meant that someone raping an unconscious woman or participating in a sex-trafficking sting could not be prosecuted for a violent crime.
He says it also encouraged a rash of crimes throughout the state, with many of the offenders believing there wouldn't be any consequences for their actions.
"[Californians] don't stay out past dark here, because people don't feel safe. ... It's a [de facto] curfew" for the residents, says Dahle. "That's the No. 1 responsibility" for public officials: "Keep people safe."
As such, Dahle says Republican candidates are working hard to fill that societal void in California, a state that has all the necessary resources to thrive once again.
"The California dream can be achieved here, if we just put all the right people in place," added Dahle.
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