In left-wing Los Angeles area, Arthur Schaper’s run for California State Assembly shocked everyone!

An uplifting election story!

He got 10,000 more votes than previous GOP candidate - who had spent $1.5 million!

He got big endorsements, lots of support. He really angered the Left - and the squishy CA GOP!

December 7, 2020
ALT TEXT Arthur Schaper's campaign was bold and unapologetic - unlike most of the rest of the California GOP.

MassResistance Organization Director Arthur Schaper had not originally intended to run for the California State Assembly – or any public office.

But late last year a group of local citizens who admire his strong pro-family principles and MassResistance activism approached him and relentlessly urged him to do it. They raised the $1,104.00 filing fee to get him on the ballot. They found him an experienced campaign manager and treasurer.

So Arthur agreed to run. With limited but effective campaigning and very little money, he got 84,867 votes (about 37% of the total). This was over 10,000 more votes than the previous GOP candidate in 2018, who had spent $1.5 million, had a campaign office, a large organization, and campaigned heavily throughout the district.

How did Arthur do this well? We think it was because he has a strong common-sense (and pro-family) message – including opposing the LGBT agenda in the schools – that resonated with a lot of voters who were tired of the lunacy from Democrats.

Up against a terrible anti-family incumbent – in a difficult district

On paper, it’s certainly not friendly territory. The 66th Assembly District is known as the “South Bay” area of Los Angeles County. It includes Arthur’s home town of Torrance and extends along the coast from Manhattan Beach to Rancho Palos Verdes and east to West Carson. Not surprisingly, it is a majority Democrat area. With California’s legalized ballot harvesting, early voting, mail-in voting, and the usual ballot fraud, it’s become very difficult for Republicans like Arthur to gain traction.

However, the incumbent Assemblyman, Democrat Al Muratsuchi, is an enemy of pro-family conservatives. He’s voted for every anti-family bill in the Legislature. For example, this year, he was the tie-breaking vote in the Assembly to pass SB 145, which removed the sex-offender registry requirement for adult-child homosexual sex. In 2018 he was a strong advocate for AB 2943, which would ban counseling for adults suffering from unwanted same-sex attraction. (Luckily, MassResistance was able to stop that one from becoming law.)

ALT TEXT California MassResistance activists confronted Muratsuchi (left) at his public events about his support for the hideous bill SB 145.
ALT TEXT Protesting Muratsuchi's support for AB 2493 at his district office, in 2018.
ALT TEXT Reacting to Muratsuchi's explanation for his support for AB 2943 at an "town hall" event in 2018.

So people across the district felt that Muratsuchi needed to be opposed, and that Arthur Schaper was the best chance there was for that. Arthur continued his full-time work for MassResistance and did campaigning on weekends and occasional evenings. He always mentioned MassResistance when he was campaigning – and took strong positions on all the conservative issues of the day. His committee of supporters did everything they could, including texting over 60,000 people in the district.

Endorsement by Ward Connerly

One of the prominent ballot questions before the state in that election was Proposition 16. Back in 1996 California voters passed Prop 209 to end the leftist practice of race-based discrimination in college admissions and hiring practices in the state. University of California Regent Ward Connerly ran that effort and became a national figure. Liberals have hated it ever since. So this year the Left put forth Prop 16 to repeal it. (Luckily, that failed.)

During the campaign, Ward Connerly was so impressed by Arthur’s bold stand against Prop 16 (and on other conservative issues) that he publicly endorsed him! (One of Connerly’s staff members has now become a MassResistance activist!)

ALT TEXT Ward Connerly was outspoken in his support for Arthur's candidacy!

Other key endorsements

For 20 years The National Rifle Association had not endorsed any Republican candidates in District 66 – because they were soft on the gun issue. But this time the NRA strongly endorsed Arthur!

ALT TEXT Endorsed by the NRA.

Torrance City Councilman Aurelio Mattucci, a strong pro-family advocate, publicly endorsed Arthur, along with Hector Gastelum, the Otay Mesa Water District Director.

Torrance City Councilman Aurelio Mattucci is a major figure in local politics. His endorsement of Arthur was a big deal!

The slimy California GOP would not endorse Arthur!

In recent years Arthur (along with many other California conservatives) has been very vocal about the leftward lurch and moral corruption of the California State Republican Party. Many have described the CA GOP as having been largely taken over by “the establishment consultant class.” In particular, they have caved in on the LGBT agenda and other pro-family issues that are important to the grassroots. (Republicans in other states will surely recognize this!) Arthur has loudly called them out on that – and they really don’t like him because of that.

For example, Arthur was president of the Beach Cities Republicans, a local GOP organization. The CA GOP warned the membership that if they re-elected Arthur as president they would revoke the group’s charter! They elected Arthur anyway. And their charter got revoked!

The Beach Cities Republicans elected Arthur president TWICE - against the threats of the state party!

The CA GOP also tried to pressure local GOP groups to “disinvite” Arthur from speaking during his campaign – but none of them complied! Arthur is clearly popular among local Republicans.

Great support from his church!

Arthur belongs to a church that most people can only dream of! The pastor is a strong social conservative and not afraid to talk about the issues – and take action. The pastor openly endorsed Arthur and had him speak at the church several times during the campaign.

Arthur definitely has a gift for speaking clearly and powerfully on political issues. Here are two of his speeches before the congregation:

Arthur’s speech at the church on October 8, 2020

Arthur’s speech at the church on October 22, 2020

ALT TEXT Arthur, along with his pastor (left), addresses the church congregation about the issues before them in his election.

A vicious hate campaign against Arthur – but he fought back!

Not surprisingly, the left-wing radicals in the district became unhinged when they heard Arthur was running for the State Assembly with an unflinching pro-family and pro-America message. They went on a vicious social media rampage against Arthur.

ALT TEXT A left-wing wacko named Alexandra Lynn led a social media campaign against Arthur. But people also defended him. Below, one of the many memes that Lynn sent out against Arthur.
ALT TEXT

As we’ve all observed, these are very disturbed people, as exhibited by their obsessive hatred and inability to deal with issues rationally. Most pro-family people cower in fear when these attacks start to happen, and worse, pull back on their principled public stands. It’s really pathetic to watch. But not Arthur Schaper. He fought back. And it worked. The leftist radicals are the ones who began to cower and shrivel away. Arthur knows that these people – who love to be “bullies” – are really cowards inside.

Here’s an example of Arthur’s successfully fighting back at one of his rabid attackers.

Final thoughts

Although Arthur didn’t win, he got more votes than any of the “experts” predicted was possible. He was a first-time candidate in a hostile district who only raised about $4,000. He had a small group, and was opposed by his own state party. But his unflinching and fearless conservative pro-family message won support that was far greater than his reach!

In short, Arthur did the opposite of what most of the GOP does. And it got surprising results in a normally inhospitable environment. This should be a lesson for the rest of the Republican Party – and for conservatives everywhere!

ALT TEXT For over 84,000 people it was an easy choice to make!
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