POLITICS IS A NASTY BUSINESS and nobody knows this like Leslie Cornejo and Katie Teague, the founders of the California Association of Political Centrists.

A moderate Republican, Cornejo spent five years as chairman of the Republican Central Committee until, she says, she was booted in 2006 for endorsing Congressman Elton Gallegly's primary opponent at a time when Gallegly had temporarily bowed out. Gallegly jumped back in the race, but Cornejo stuck to her guns. "It did crack open the door for an ouster," she explained.

"This party chews up women and spits them out," Cornejo said. "But it was not about women. It was really about certain candidates controlling huge funds."

Cornejo dug in her heels until she got a call from the state party honchos. " 'What can we do to get you to leave quietly?' " Cornejo recalls them saying.

She hasn't exactly been quiet since. Cornejo, along with Teague and 12 others, left the local Republicans. The duo founded their Centrist group shortly thereafter. Since that time, they've partnered with the Ventura County Star on candidate forums and every election cycle their group rates candidates on their abilities to reach bipartisan consensus.

I INVITED CORNEJO AND TEAGUE to speak to the Ventura County Chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus last night because I think their message couldn't be any more timely.

"What we have is a system organized and run by extremes," Cornejo told our group. "You have two sides lobbing grenades at each other over red meat issues."

Part of the Centrists' strategy is to make sure voters are informed and to "take the mystery out of politics," Cornejo said. There is a reason why things happen the way they do and it often involves manipulation.

"Proposition 8 was put on the ballot to turn out conservatives," Cornejo said. "I am appalled that so many things on the ballot are about candidates and not about making good laws."

These two smart and gutsy women figure they're doing a good job when both parties get mad at them. "We've managed to step on probably everyone's toes," Cornejo said.

"But we're trying to wrestle politics away from the ideologues and opportunists."

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