Bruce McPherson

For 26 years, McPherson was a journalist at his family-owned newspaper in Santa Cruz. One of the richest elected officials in California, McPherson has focused his attention as Secretary of State on the quality of electronic voting machines and new voter registration drives. He lost a bid against Cruz Bustamante for lieutenant governor in 2002, and in 2005 was appointed Secretary of State by Gov. Schwarzenegger, replacing Democrat Kevin Shelley, who resigned in disgrace over alleged ethical violations. He represented a highly bipartisan district in the Legislature, and he was known as a steady nonpartisan vote.