GOP supports incumbents

The Orange County Republican Party has pumped several thousands of dollars into the Newport Beach City Council elections this year, backing incumbents Keith Curry and Steve Rosansky, although both councilmen are running against other Republicans.

Curry and Rosansky lobbied for and won the official endorsement of the party, said Scott Baugh, chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County.

“Often in local races, the voters don’t know who the Republicans are,” Baugh said. “The reason why we do endorsements is so we can inform people who the Republicans are and who are the Republicans who have helped the party achieve its goals.”

Retired school Supt. Gloria Alkire, who is challenging Rosansky for his District 2 council seat, said she was upset over the expenditures.

“I am disappointed in the Republican Party for making sweeping statements in their campaign material that all Republicans support Rosansky and Curry,” Alkire said. “I am a Republican and my friends are Republicans. Scott Baugh has the power to used Orange County Republican money to support these candidates but he doesn’t have the sanction to do that ... he doesn’t speak for a lot of people in Newport Beach, but he assumed he had the right to use the money to support these two people.”

The party has spent almost $17,000 to support Rosansky’s reelection bid, according to campaign disclosure records.

“I’ve been a loyal Republican my entire life, and I’m glad the party supports my candidacy,” Rosansky said.

The party has spent more than $24,000 on campaign literature and mailers to support Curry and about $16,000 to oppose the councilman’s challenger for the District 7 seat, community activist Dolores Otting, campaign disclosure records show.

Otting, a registered Republican and president of the Newport Harbor Republican Women club, declined to comment on the expenditures.

Curry, who has criticized former Behr paint manufacturing chairman Jack Croul for pouring more than $100,000 into an independent expenditure committee to support Otting, said he is happy to have the help. Croul also plunked down about $680,000 to support the successful City Hall in the Park ballot measure earlier this year.

“With Jack Croul having bought city hall and now that he’s trying to buy the people that work there, it’s very gratifying that the Republican Party has stepped up and supported my campaign the way that they have,” Curry said. “Our campaign has built a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans, environmentalists and business interests.”

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.