The CA GOP Convo: Demon Sheep II And Strange Blood Lines

Each of the GOP CA SEN and GOV candidates addressed the CA GOP convention this weekend, along with ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R), who introduced CA GOV candidate/ex-eBay CEO Meg Whitman (R). Here are some highlights from the candidates' speeches:

SEN candidate/ex-HP CEO Carly Fiorina (R) directly attacked Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), speaking like a candidate who has already locked up the GOP nod, even as she lags ex-Rep. Tom Campbell (R) in polling.

Fiorina: "As I said earlier, I believe strongly that the great sleeping giant of American democracy is awakening. Conservatives, independents, moderates, Republicans, Democrats, Tea Partiers, Libertarians - all of us now belong to one party: The 'Had Enough Party.' We have had enough, and we are at a critical point in history - in Ronald Reagan's words: 'a time for choosing.' You and I will choose to make a difference this year. Not separately but together."

Meanwhile, shortly before Fiorina spoke to attendees, her camp released a new web video attacking Boxer and her record in the Senate. The video doesn't quite rival "Demon Sheep," but it's close.

Campbell also directly criticized Boxer, attacking her support of health care and cap-and-trade legislation. He also touted his record of winning elections in Dem-heavy areas in explaining why he will make the best GOP nominee.

Campbell: "People are fed up. They are tired of a government that spends too much, of a creeping command-and-control mentality in Washington, and of throwing good money after bad with gargantuan proposals to reshape health care on top of trillion dollar stimulus bills, bank bailouts and Government Motors. The troubling direction of our country creates an opportunity finally to replace Senator Barbara Boxer with a fiscally conservative Senator who voted to spend less of your money than anyone else serving in Congress. This is no ordinary election in California. Who we nominate to run against Senator Barbara Boxer matters a great deal."

SEN candidate/Assemb. Chuck DeVore: "What I hear from these individuals who are decline-to-state, Republican, Democrat, is they want to return to basics. They want to follow the Constitution. They want to live within our means. I don't hear the social issues."

At a presser, DeVore said he doesn't plan to run any TV ads leading up to the June primary because he believes they'd get lost amid the ads being run by the multiple self-funding millionaires in the SEN and GOV contests.

DeVore also told attendees he's a distant cousin of GOV candidate/AG/ex-Gov. Jerry Brown (D). DeVore: "I'm embarrassed to say -- and he'll deny it -- that I'm a distant cousin of Jerry Brown. My mom remembers seeing him at a family gathering in the Bay Area when she was 12 and he was 15. She told me he was weird even then."

Whitman: "For the first time in a long time, the top of our ticket is going to have the resources and the grassroots organization to fight for votes in every corner of this state. We're going to go head to head with Jerry Brown and his $40 million of union money, and we're going to beat him. ... I believe I am the strongest Republican who can win in November, and I know that I have what it takes to get our state back on track and on a new, better path. I have the leadership skills, I have the experience and I know exactly where I stand on the issues."

Romney, introducing Whitman: "So I'm convinced that she is electable. That she can be elected governor. And she has the skills to be governor. And right now the people of California and the people of the country are depending on California to get this house in order. There's no one I know who is better able and prepared to stop the decline, to get this state to turn around, to stop the job losses, to keep the companies from moving away, to stop the tax increases, to stop the pain the people of California are suffering."

Insurance Commis. Steve Poizner (R): "There's a big battle going on right now for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. There's two, basically two camps. One camp wants to rebrand, one camp wants to move the Republican Party to the center. One camp wants to reposition the Republican Party. I just couldn't disagree with that more. We are in trouble as a party, we've got a lot of work to do here in California. A lot of rebuilding to do."

Poizner advocated for tougher border security, tax cuts, state control of the water supply and curbing the power of public employee unions.