Republican policy guru wants to end California's 'one-party monopoly'

California Republicans have been struggling in the political wilderness, failing to capture a single statewide office since 2006 in a state where Democrats outnumber them two-to-one. But longtime GOP policy adviser Lanhee Chen is hoping to change that at a time when the recall election of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is reenergizing the party's voters.

Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution who guided the policy agenda for the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio and was a health policy advisor on the re-election campaign of former President George W. Bush, is launching his 2022 bid for state controller Tuesday. Seeking an office that he acknowledges is decidedly wonky, the academic with four degrees from Harvard is determined to convince California voters that Democrats' one-party rule is leading to "policy sclerosis." He is centering his campaign on accountability and his desire to drive "creativity in thinking" when it comes to California's biggest problems -- including homelessness, water issues and the soaring cost of living.