When Orange County Assemblymember Van Tran jumped into the Congressional race to unseat Democratic incumbent Loretta Sanchez in CA-47, the national Republican Party was all ecstatic, wondering if he were the "GOP's future" and naming him as one of the first thirteen candidates in their Young Guns program, a program to lend assistance to their top challengers. Funny how a few months and a DUI accident can change those dynamics.

The GOP recently added 32 names to the Young Gun program and promoted 9 of the 13 original candidates from "On the Radar" to "Contender" status. Since the upgrade doesn't necessarily include any official endorsements from the party or any financial commitments, a candidate would have a very low bar to move up the pipeline. Basically, they just have to avoid any scandals or being a scene as a baffoon.

But alas, noticeably absent from that upgrade list was Van. It looks like the national's party's assessment of his candidacy has dimmed. It couldn't happen to a nicer cover-up artist.