Travis Allen announces bid for California governor

SACRAMENTO - A California Assemblyman announced Thursday that he's running for governor in 2018, an uphill climb for a Republican in a state dominated across statewide offices by Democrats.

Assemblyman Travis Allen of Huntington Beach said while the numbers are not in his favor, he's running because Democrats have controlled the state for too long, enacting burdensome tax increases and policies that are soft on crime. Allen is leading a ballot initiative to repeal the gas tax increase approved largely by Democratic lawmakers earlier this year.

“Over and over again I hear the same failed policies and tired excuses,” Allen said. “There is a myth in California that the Democrat party is invincible.”

Forty-five percent of California voters are registered as Democrats while just 26 percent are registered Republicans. Democratic candidates Lt Gov. Gavin Newsom, Treasurer John Chiang and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa have generated the most buzz in the governor's race so far. All have raised millions of dollars for their campaigns.