BayAreaGOP.com Recommended Candidates
for the Santa Clara County Central Committee (SVGOP)
DISTRICT 1
Benson Yeung – Benson currently serves as Vice Chair of the Committee and Chair of the Finance Committee. He is founder and CEO of Triware Systems, an IT services company. He is the co-founder of the Silicon Valley Chinese Technology and Business Association.
Jim Russell – Jim currently serves as Treasurer of the Committee. He is also Chair-elect of the Lincoln Club of Northern California, a Republican donor group. Jim is a former GOP nominee for State Assembly and previously served as a high school principal in the Campbell Union High School District.
Helen Wang – Helen is currently the GOP endorsed candidate for San Jose City Council in District 10. A long-time GOP volunteer, she has raised funds, recruited volunteers and served as the head of Asian outreach for our party. She recently retired as managing partner of a San Jose urgent care clinic.
Danean Smith – Danean has raised funds for President Trump, Mitt Romney and our local Republican Party. She is the head of the public affairs committee for her church in Morgan Hill.
Timur Engin – Timur is President of SPARC (South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition) one of the largest and most active Republican volunteer clubs in the county. He works as a patent attorney at Google.
Michelle Dexter – Michelle is a member of the Precinct Committee of the SVGOP and works as staff for a member of the San Jose City Council.
Lisa Marshik – Lisa serves as the Events Chair for our party and spends countless volunteer hours putting on events to raise money and recruit volunteers. She works in events management for a local winery.
DISTRICT 2
Shane Patrick Connolly – Shane currently serves as Chair of the Santa Clara County Republican Party and a member of the Executive Committee of the California Republican Party. He previously served as Treasurer of the SVGOP. He works as Chief of Staff for a member of the San Jose City Council.
Enrique Navarro-Donnellan – Enrique was the SVGOP endorsed candidate for school board in Morgan Hill. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and works as a staff member for the San Jose City Council.
David Westerman – David is a long-time volunteer for the Republican Party and for President Trump. He was recognized for outstanding volunteer service on behalf of Republican candidates during the 2018 campaign.
DISTRICT 3
David Mac – Active in the local Vietnamese Community, David is a long-time member of the Santa Clara County Republican Central Committee.
Khanh Hoang – Khanh is a software engineer who now is the technical lead for the SVGOP. He served as the interim Executive Director of the SVGOP in the 2018 cycle and managed the campaign phone banks and all electronic communications for the Committee.
Jim Zito – Jim is the SVGOP endorsed candidate for San Jose City Council in District 8. He is an elected Trustee of the Evergreen School District. He was a practicing biotech engineer who spent the last four years working as a middle school math teacher.
Ed Riffle – Ed has been active in campaigns to elect Republicans in his community and is a current member of the Santa Clara County Republican Central Committee. He also served as a member of the California delegation to the Republican National Convention in 2012.
DISTRICT 4
Charlie Schadewitz – Charlie is a sales executive for a major Silicon Valley software company. He is a current member and Angel Donor of the GOP Central Committee and a past delegate to the several California Republican Party conventions.
James P. Rincon – James is the campaign manager for SVGOP endorsed candidate John Leyba for Santa Clara County Supervisor. He currently serves as an alternate member of the GOP Central Committee.
Jeffrey Stanley – Jeff is the owner of Bad Boys Bail Bonds and a Platinum Donor to the SVGOP. He served as a delegate for Donald Trump to the 2016 Republican National Convention. He currently serves as an alternate member of the SVGOP.
Robert Varich – Robert is an elected Board Member of the Campbell Union High School District and a past Vice Chair of the Santa Clara County GOP. He is the owner of Pinnacle 1, a local Allstate insurance agency.
Michael L. Snyder – Michael serves as an elected Board Member of the Campbell Union School District and works as an elementary school teacher. He is a current member of the SVGOP central committee.
DISTRICT 5
Chuck Page – Chuck is a past Mayor and City Council Member for the City of Saratoga. He was the Republican nominee for State Senate in District 15 in 2016. He currently serves on the GOP central committee and as a member of the Platform Committee for the California Republican Party.
Roger Riffenburgh – Roger is the editor of the BayAreaGOP.com newsletter and a past Vice Chair and Treasurer of the Santa Clara County Republican Party. He has walked precincts for Republicans throughout the County. Roger is a retired software engineer who dedicates his talent and skills to our local party.
Jayne Ham – Jayne is a Cupertino businesswoman and Vice Chair of the South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition (SPARC). She has served as a delegate to both state and national conventions and as Secretary of our local party. She volunteers on behalf of our community as a member of the local Rotary.
Luis Buhler – Luis is the publisher of BayAreaGOP.com and a current member of the Executive Committee of the SVGOP. He served as delegate for Donald Trump and a member of the Credentials Committee at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He currently serves on the Rules Committee of the California Republican Party. Luis serves as a Consulting Chief Financial Officer for businesses and nonprofit organizations.
John Ruckstuhl – John is an Angel Donor and alternate member of the Santa Clara County Republican Party. He works as in engineer at a Silicon Valley medical device company.