OCGO Endorsement Process

Endorsing candidates is an important part of the political process and is a big step towards Orange County Gun Owner‘s goal of electing only people who respect our Second Amendment rights.

For OCGO, every day is election season and the next election is always right around the corner. OCGO is a unique political organization because we focus entirely on local Second Amendment issues.  Because we are unique, it is important to understand the specifics of who, how, and why we endorse.

OCGO endorses only county and city level candidates.  We do not endorse state or federal candidates because other organizations do a great job already and we do not want to duplicate efforts.  We only endorse candidates for City Council, School Board, County Board of Supervisors, judges, Sheriff, and other local boards like water, fire, etc.

OCGO has not endorsed anyone for the 2022 elections yet.  We are continuing to vet and research in preparation of our next Board meeting where endorsements will be discussed.  There will be a list of endorsed candidates well before the June primary and November general elections.

OCGO’s Criteria for Endorsements:

1. The candidate’s stance on the Second Amendment and Second Amendment issues.  Does the candidate oppose gun bans, ammunition registration, and accessory bans?  Does the candidate support issuing carry permits for the purpose of self-defense?  And will the candidate do more than just say they support the Second Amendment?  We want to support people who will actively work to protect and restore our Second Amendment rights.
2. The viability of the candidate’s campaign.  By endorsing a candidate, we are asking our members and supporters to donate money and time to their campaign.  Our endorsement is not just a voting guide. We will not ask our members to give time and money to a candidate who does not have the proper infrastructure in place to win or has not done enough to raise the money needed to get their message to voters.  
3. The candidate’s character.  Even if a candidate is pro-Second Amendment and has a viable campaign, if they have done something that is serious and verifiable to prove they do not have the character to hold public office, we will not endorse.  How can we trust a candidate to do the right thing on the Second Amendment if they cannot do the right thing personally or professionally?

If you have a favorite local candidate or are a candidate, please contact us.  We want to make sure candidates get our questionnaire and talk to an employee or Board member meets with each candidate.  Once a candidate is endorsed, OCGO will encourage our members to volunteer for and donate to endorsed candidates.  OCGO spends money on behalf of our endorsed candidates to make sure their voters vote for them.

Endorsed or not, OCGO will continue to reward good behavior by candidates/elected and shine a bright light on bad behavior.  The best place for information on elected City Council members is on our website here: https://www.orangecountygunowners.com/ratings/