Man Collapses, Dies At GOP Party

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- A former candidate for the state assembly died after collapsing on the dance floor at a party for the state convention, California GOP officials said Sunday.

Doug McNea, 64, a three-time candidate and head of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, was rushed to the hospital late Saturday after collapsing at the Sheraton Hotel in Sacramento. Mark Standriff, a spokesman for the California Republican Party, said the San Jose man died overnight.

McNea, a nuclear energy consultant and U.S. Navy veteran, was dancing at a party thrown by House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy, of Bakersfield. Bystanders used a defibrillator and tried to perform CPR before paramedics arrived.

A spokesman for McCarthy told The San Francisco Chronicle that McNea was committed to the nation and his work to protect taxpayers would not be forgotten.

More than 1,000 delegates who gathered at a Sunday morning meeting observed a moment of silence in McNea's honor.

"The guy has been fighting for taxpayers for an entire generation," said Jon Fleischman, a delegate and conservative blogger. "He'll be a voice ... that will be very hard to be replaced."

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)