Republican Assemblyman Anthony Adams cast his "aye" budget vote at dawn today with full knowledge that, as he has said, "this will probably be the end of a political career for me."
But that doesn't mean the Hesperia Republican plans to go down without a fight. The second-term assemblyman spent much of Wednesday trolling the Capitol corridors, folder in hand, gathering endorsements from his caucus for his 2010 reelection.
"I think it's important that people know that my caucus is supportive -- that I'm not making any decision lightly," Adams said on his way into a GOP member's office Wednesday. "I'm also not making a decision outside the realm of our caucus. I'm not out there by myself or trying to engage in something that does not have the support of my caucus."
This morning, Adams joined Assembly GOP leader Mike Villines and Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, as the three GOP votes needed, along with every Democrat, to pass the $40 billion budget deficit package in the lower house. The plan includes $15 billion in spending cuts, $12.8 billion in temporary tax increases, and $11.4 billion in borrowing.
By the time of the vote, Adams had gathered signed 2010 endorsements from every single Republican in the Assembly.
"While all the members may not feel the same way that I do about the matter, they are still very supportive of me and know that I'm doing this on principle and not for some giveaway or something like that," Adams said.
A recall effort against him is already afoot.
The 38-year old lawmaker has been in anti-tax advocates' crosshairs ever since a Sacramento Bee story on Jan. 22 and an appearance later that day on the John and Ken radio show in Southern California. The shock jocks were blasting Republicans, including Adams, for telling The Bee that taxes were on the table in budget talks.
"I dare with the full knowledge that this will probably be the end of a political career for me," Adams told the radio duo. "But the fact of the matter is California is in a place where they need people who are willing to sacrifice their own personal agenda for what's right."
The radio hosts responded by posting an image of Adams' decapitated head on a stick on their Web site.
There's been talk in GOP circles of recruiting a Republican primary challenger to Adams in 2010.
The name of retired former state Sen. Dick Mountjoy has surfaced. Mountjoy told the Whittier Daily News, "I don't think it's going to come to pass because I don't think Adams is that big of a fool. If he were to vote for a tax increase, it'd be the dumbest thing ever he could do."
Now there's talk of a recall. Capitol Weekly reported this morning that a group called AtlasPAC is considering launching such an effort.
Lee Lowrey, chairman of the PAC, said in an interview Thursday afternoon, "We are definitely going to move forward."
"Republicans can disagree on abortion. Republicans can even disagree on gay marriage," Lowrey said. "But if we can't agree on taxes, there's not a lot left for our party."
The group is beginning to raise money for the campaign, he said.
Many conservatives view the vow to block any and all tax hikes as sacrosanct to the GOP mission. Adams had signed a no-new-taxes pledge.
"It is a sad, depressing day indeed," wrote conservative blogger Jon Fleischman today. "Horrible for taxpayers, and terrible for the Republican Party."
The fallout for Republicans from the budget has already been swift.
In a midnight caucus two nights ago, Senate Republicans ousted GOP leader Dave Cogdill, who crafted the plan at the negotiating table. They replaced him with Sen. Dennis Hollingworth, who almost immediately took a hard-line, no-new-taxes stance. In the Assembly, a coup attempt by conservative Assemblyman Chuck Devore found no support.
Next up: This weekend Adams and the five other GOP lawmakers who backed the budget face the possibility of a censure by their own political party.
Adams said he hopes his fellow Republicans' endorsements will blunt some of the criticism.
"This is just a small way of saying, notwithstanding how we feel about taxes personally, we still think Anthony is the right choice," he said.
Photo credit: From Adams' office Assembly Web page.
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