Tom Del Beccaro

Thomas Gerard F. "Tom" Del Beccaro (born August 28, 1961 in Glen Cove, New York) is an American author and lawyer who served as the chairman of the California Republican Party from March 22, 2011 to March 3, 2013.^[1] On April 26, 2015, Del Beccaro announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in a bid to succeed Democrat Barbara Boxer.^[2] On May 26, 2015, Del Beccaro launched his new book, The Divided Era, which discusses how our government system creates political division.

Del Beccaro is currently a Forbes columnist who writes frequently about tax policy and national politics.^[3] He has also contributed articles to Investor’s Business Daily, Rasmussen Reports, USA Today, National Review, Politico, The Washington Times and several daily newspapers in California.^[4][5] Del Beccaro is also a frequent talk radio and television commentator with regular appearances on FOX, ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates in California discussing current events in politics.

Biography

Prior to being elected chairman of the CRP, Del Beccaro served as the chairman of the Contra Costa Republican Party and was elected vice chairman of the CRP in 2007, then reelected in 2009.

Del Beccaro is the author of "The New Conservative Paradigm" published in 2007, which analyzes the role of tax policy in American presidential and congressional politics from the 1950s to 2010. The book was updated for the 2008 and 2010 elections. Del Beccaro is also the founder and publisher of Political Vanguard, an online magazine established in 2002.

During his tenure as CRP chairman, Del Beccaro’s goal was to increase the organization’s membership and communicate with more minority voters. He did so by organizing a series of open meetings throughout the state where he invited Democrats, Republicans and Independents to discuss critical issues and open the lines of communication. The town-hall-style meetings aimed to reach Latino and Asian voters, and in a first-time partnership, he collaborated with Univision, the Spanish-language television network, to broadcast the 2012 Fall California Republican Party convention. The Los Angeles Times credited Del Beccaro for his efforts to take the California Republican Party outside its "comfort zone" based on such meetings.^[6]

Due to a shift in the political landscape, including a move during the 2012 Fall California Republican Convention held in Burbank, California to limit the strength of the CRP chairman and the size of the office, Del Beccaro struggled to effectively raise money, which later resulted in a budget shortfall and staffing reductions.^[7] However, Del Beccaro states that candidate funding was largely unaffected, and that it was necessary to spend money earlier on to guarantee ballot access for Republican candidates due to Proposition 14, a decision defended by former chair Ron Nehring. Before taking over as the current CRP chairman, Jim Brulte demanded the strength of the chairman’s office be restored and its ability to raise funds.^[8]

Outside politics Del Beccaro is a business attorney based in the San Francisco Bay area. In 2000, he became a partner of the full-service business firm now known as Del Beccaro, Hornsby & Blake located in Walnut Creek, California.

References

External links

• Official Senate candidacy website
• Official site
• Political Vanguard - From the desk of Tom Del Beccaro
• Tom Del Beccaro on Twitter