As I wrote in my column in The Star today, Camarillo Assemblyman Jeff Gorell is urging his fellow Republicans to reassess their views on a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States for several years. That, of course, is not a universal view among California conservatives -- a point that will be driven home over the next two years if the first candidate to form an exploratory committee to run for governor follows through on his plans.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a founder of the Minuteman movement in California, has announced on the Patriot Update website that he has taken the first step toward launching a campaign for governor. Sources say he recently informed his colleagues in the Assembly Republican caucus of his intent to do so.

If Donnelly gets any traction, it will create a familiar dilemma for the party. The conservative voters who often dominate the GOP primary remain very much concerned about the effects of illegal immigration, and other candidates will concede the tough-on-illegal-immigration position to him at their peril. But, as this month's election results revealed, any Republican who emerges from the primary with a strong position against allowing any form of amnesty for illegal immigrants will have almost no chance in the general election.