Originally appeared in Washington Post blog "RIGHT TURN" by Jennifer Rubin

To see the article in the Washington Post CLICK HERE

   The California Republican Party is in a sorry state. A Democrat who has served in Congress since 1997 in a D+20 district is running for reelection. A slam dunk? Maybe not.

If anyone can press Rep. Brad Sherman(D-Calif.) to the limit it may be Pablo Kleinman, an Argentinian Jewish immigrant who came to the United States at aged 13 and is now a high-tech entrepreneur and frequent presence on Univision. Sitting in a coffee shop near Dupont Circle, he rattles off the statistics for his district — 40 percent foreign born, 30 percent Hispanic. Asked to describe his political leanings he says, “I’m socially moderate and fiscally conservative.” He is soft-spoken and direct; with a close clipped beard and dark suit, he looks and sounds more like an international businessman than a Republican politician. And that may be the key to his success.