Bill Jones

Former Sec. of State Bill Jones addressed the California Republican Convention moments before the start of the presidential debate Friday night, revving up the dinner crowd with a  appeal to support John McCain.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Former U.S. Senate candidate Rosario Marin said she still believes she'll have a speaking role at the Republican National Convention, but she's not sure if she'll speak Wednesday or Thursday.

Marin, a member of the California delegation to the convention, said her speech will focus on the need for ongoing government reform to fit with a theme that presumptive Republican presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain has embraced.

California Republicans painted an east/west divide Saturday in comparing the presumptive Democratic presidential ticket of U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden to that of presumptive Republican nominee and U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

"I think it's important for California to realize that we have two eastern senators on one ticket, and then you have Senator McCain, who is often referred to as California's third senator," said Bill Jones, chair of the state's delegation to the GOP convention and a former California Secretary of State, in a Saturday afternoon conference call with reporters.

The California Republican Party has released its delegate list for the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul in September.

The full list includes 173 delegates, 170 alternates and over 400 guests. Bill Jones, former California Secretary of State, is the delegation chairman, and the total delegation is the largest of any state at the convention.

His vice chairs are State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, California Republican Party Chairman Ron Nehring, former Gov. Pete Wilson and State Sen. Jeff Denham (R-Merced).

The California Democratic and Republican parties have filled out their leadership posts to this summer’s conventions in Denver and Minneapolis.

Former California Secretary of State Bill Jones will serve as chairman of the California Republican Party’s delegation. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will serve as honorary chairman. Former Governor Pete Wilson, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, and state Party Chairman Ron Nehring will serve as co-chairmen.

"Ours is a delegation representative of every corner of California and the excitement and enthusiasm of our grassroots volunteers and supporters will propel us forward as we come together to pledge our delegate’s votes to Senator John McCain,” Bill Jones said in a statement.

Leading the Democratic delegation is U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. “I can think of no better California Democrat to lead our historic delegation to Denver than our senior United States Senator, Dianne Feinstein,” said California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres.

Should they decide to enter the 2010 race for governor, former EBay CEO Meg Whitman and State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner will likely have to explain to Republican voters why in recent years they have donated thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates.

Contribution reports show that Whitman gave former State Controller Steve Westly, with whom she worked at EBay, $20,000 in combined donations for his 2002 run for controller and 2006 campaign for governor. In 2005 she contributed $1,000 to state Sen. Joe Simitian’s 2008 reelection campaign.  She made contributions to candidates for national offices as well: $1,000 to U.S. Rep. Mike Honda in 2002, $1,000 to U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell in 2002, $1,000 to U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson in 2006, $2,000 to U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2003, and $1,000 to U.S. Sen. John Kerry in 1999.

Unlike Whitman, a political newcomer, Poizner’s record has been vetted in the course of a previous campaign. In his 2006 run for his current seat, Republicans became acquainted with Poizner’s contributions to Democrats, which included $10,000 to the Democratic National Committee in 2000, $1,000 to Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000 and $2,000 to Kerry in 2001.

A fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate John McCain at the Atherton, Calif., home of former eBay CEO Meg Whitman today took in about $2.5 million, a spokesperson for the McCain campaign tells PolitickerCA.com Thursday afternoon. Whitman is serving as a co-chair for the McCain. She is widely seen as a potential Republican California gubernatorial candidate in 2010.