Duf Sundheim
friend of Auren
I was lucky enough to meet Duf Sundheim about two years ago. Price Roe (see Sept 2002 Friend of Auren) and I just wrote a memo about the awesome gains of the Democratic Party in the San Francisco Bay Area -- particularly in the tech community. Duf read the article, latched onto it, and (along with Floyd Kvamme and Gregory Slayton) helped inspire Price and I to start Lead21 (formerly known as the New Century Leadership Circle) as a counterweight.
At the time, Duf was the Chairman of the Lincoln Club and did a great job taking that organization to the next level. A former Stanford football player, Duf's incredible intensity has made him successful in business as well as politics. Last January, Duf won election to become Chairman of the California Republican Party and set upon a long march to rebuild the GOP in this state.
In the midst of his plans, Duf was thrust to the front lines because of the recall of Governor Davis. He has been a healthy steward of the party throughout -- and at the same time he remains a committed public servant and a close friend of Lead21.
Though the California Republican Party still has a long way to go to be competitive again in this state, Duf's strong stewardship should get it there.
