Elk Grove's two major Republican clubs have voted to endorse political newcomer for mayor, passing over longtime City Council member and fellow Republican , the presidents of both organizations told Elk Grove Patch Monday.
"Jerry has shown he has a grasp of the issues facing the city and can bring more jobs and put Elk Grove to work," said Chris Orrock, the president of Elk Grove Republicans, who is also working as a paid consultant to Braxmeyer's campaign.
Orrock said his group decided at its July meeting to join the Cosumnes Republican Assembly in backing Braxmeyer, who owns a legal business that negotiates workers' compensation settlements.
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"We’ve heard from a lot of voters in Elk Grove that they’re tired of seeing the same people on the council receiving donations and voting for the people that are giving donations, and it’s time for a change," said Orrock.
Elk Grovians will choose their first directly-elected mayor in November. Besides Braxmeyer and Scherman, the field of candidates includes UPS store owner , also a Republican, and City Council member , a Democrat.
Scherman, who has served on the City Council since Elk Grove incorporated, jumped into the mayoral race in June after her campaign for state Assembly fizzled when she to advance to the general election.
Cosumnes Republican Assembly President Carl Brickey said that his group endorsed Braxmeyer in May, before Scherman entered the race, and chose to stick by the candidate.
“It was important for us that we support a candidate early on,” said Brickey, adding that shifting from one campaign to another could hurt Scherman’s chances with voters.
"I know Sophia, and I supported her when she ran in the 9th Assembly District. But once you run for one office and turn around and run again, it’s generally not good for you and your campaign," said Brickey. "It opens you up to [questions like] why didn’t you run before? It’s problematic."
Scherman did not immediately return messages requesting comment Tuesday.
Both groups also endorsed incumbents Steve Detrick for City Council and Michelle Orrock, who is Chris Orrock's wife, for the Cosumnes Community Services District board.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story incorrectly implied that the Cosumnes Republican Assembly chose to endorse Jerry Braxmeyer in response to Councilmember Sophia Scherman's shift from running for Assembly to running for mayor. In fact, the group had already endorsed Braxmeyer in May, before Scherman entered the mayoral race. The story has been edited to reflect that.
