The Bryson Chronicles: Brough’s supporters lied about Bryson’s take on social issues

AD73: Brough Supporters Mislead Voters About Anna Bryson’s Position on Social Issues

By Art Sanchez, Campaign Manager, Anna Bryson for State Assembly 2014

(This is the 4th in a series of blog posts “Setting the Record Straight on Anna Bryson”)

A rather brazen lie from the Brough camp was the claim (in online posts and in an organized whispering campaign) that — in Brough-blogger Aaron Park’s words (4/1/14) – Anna is “a woman who supports gay marriage and abortion rights.” Brough-supporter Craig Alexander claimed in a 5/26/14 blog post that Anna would vote “in the legislature for left of center positions on social issues,” and, in another post, Alexander claimed that Anna would endeavor to transform the California Republican Party into a “much more liberal place” where Reagan conservatives “are not welcome.“ Park claimed that Anna had apparently “abandoned her past conservative stances on social Issues.”

This, despite the fact that Anna had the support of numerous high-level members of the Reagan administration (including President Reagan’s Attorney General Edwin Meese). This, furthermore, despite the fact that Anna has been a devout Catholic throughout her adult life. She was on the board of Catholic Charities of Orange County for 8 years. She opposes voicing hatred toward other people when dealing with social issues, but she supports and has always supported traditional marriage, traditional family values, and life. During the 2014 campaign, Anna had — for example — a campaign handout whose opening words described her as a “pro-life conservative.”

In 2014, Anna was endorsed by the most prominent political figure in Orange County’s pro-life, pro-family movement: The Rev. Lou Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition. Shelton’s endorsement and his affiliation were listed by Anna on her campaign website and on the online Smart Voter guide of the League of Woman Voters. In a variety of outlets, Anna called for a culture in which families can thrive. She received top ratings in 2014 from the California ProLife Council, Orange County Pro-Family Candidate Campaign, the Traditional Values Coalition, and Craig Huey’s Huey Report – all of whom have quite stringent requirements. She has had the support of such groups in past elections as well.

Hence, this was an amazingly dirty smear from the Brough camp.

California ProLife Council guide to candidates
Orange County Pro-Family Candidate Campaign guide to candidates
Huey Report guide to candidates
Bio of Lou Sheldon
John Hrabe’s 5/21/14 piece on Anna as a pro-family conservative and defender of gunowners’ rights