Fifth District Candidate McPherson Leaves GOP

Fifth District supervisorial announced on Tuesday that he is leaving the Republican Party.

McPherson, a former state legislator and secretary of state, changed his voter registration status to “Decline to State,” meaning that he is no longer affiliated with any specific political property and is instead an independent.

“The job of county supervisor is non-partisan by definition and we need to ensure that party politics are not a part of the decision making process,” McPherson said in a press release. “We face some really tough challenges in our community and we need to make decisions based on what is best for our neighborhoods, our kids, our schools, our roads, and our quality of life. We need independent voices who put people first.”

According to the California Secretary of State, voters in California stating no party preference when registering to vote has more than doubled since 1996, from 10.6 percent at that time to 21.3 percent in May 2012. During the same period of time, registration in the Republican and Democratic parties in California has declined by 10.5 percent.

McPherson said that during his 11 years in the state legislature, he was recognized as the most independent voice in Sacramento.

“Over the last six months I have walked door-to-door in every precinct in the Fifth District and I heard over and over again that people want independent voices solving our most challenging issues, not partisan politics,” he said.

McPherson narrowly missed receiving above 50 percent of the vote in June, which was needed to outright win the Fifth District seat. Instead, he will likely face a with Democrat and Boulder Creek Recreation and Park District Board member Eric Hammer. McPherson had 49.66 percent of the vote. The Santa Cruz County Clerk's Office said that there where still hand-in ballots to be counted after the election, and the office has until July 3 to certify the election results. The Fifth District seat is being vacated by Mark Stone, who will be in a November runoff for the 29th state Assembly District seat.

The Fifth District includes parts of Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz and the San Lorenzo Valley.

Election day is on Nov. 6 and early voting starts Oct. 8

For more information about Bruce McPherson and his campaign, visit www.mcphersonforsupervisor.com