What does Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, the 16th century Spanish conquistador, have in common with American patriot Patrick Henry? It may sound like a pairing from a Mel Brooks movie, but the truth is that their direct descendants have teamed up on a political mission.

Alexandria Coronado (R) has joined forces with Linda Scott Patterson, and their mission is every bit as difficult as those faced by their forebears: defeating Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) this year.

Coronado, a member of the Orange County Board of Education and a music educator, is the Republican nominee in the Democratic leaning 47th district, which Sanchez first won in 1996.

Patterson is her campaign manager.

But Patterson, who has worked on a variety of political campaigns in Southern California, is only part of the team that Coronado has begun to assemble for the House race.

Her general consultant is Chris Jones, a one-time chief of staff to powerful former state Sen. John Lewis (R) of Orange County. Jones was consultant to Tim Escobar (R) in his unsuccessful 2002 race against Sanchez’ sister, freshman Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.).

Bruce Mathias, a former government affairs liaison for racetracks in Southern California, will be Coronado’s primary fundraiser. Steve Kinney of Public Opinion Strategies will be the pollster.

Taking It to the Streets. The Republican Pro-Choice Coalition this week launched a new campaign it is calling Crisscrossing America for Choice. The events, to be held across the country as the title suggests, are designed to highlight and honor the work of Republicans who support abortion rights.

The first event was scheduled to be held Wednesday night, after Roll Call went to press. The honorees were former Republican National Committee Co-Chairwoman Mary Dent Crisp, Rep. Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.) and Republican National Committeeman James Lowe, the District of Columbia’s representative to the RNC.

Further coalition events will be scheduled in California, Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas, leading up to the late-August Republican National Convention in New York.

Mehlman and Trippi, Together. The 11th annual Politics Online conference is coming to George Washington University on March 19.

The theme of the daylong affair is “The Conversation is Changing.” Scores of political professionals, technology experts and association officials are scheduled to speak about how online political campaigns have exceeded all expectations this year and what’s ahead.

But the highlight should be the luncheon speeches given by President Bush’s campaign manager, Ken Mehlman, and Joe Trippi, the erstwhile, tech-savvy manager of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s (D) presidential campaign.

The conference costs $300 for individuals and campaign staff, $150 for people in the academic world. To register, call (202) 994-3219 or go to www.ipdi.org/politicsonline.

Tivo This! “Staffers,” the Discovery Times Channel’s documentary series on the lives of presidential campaign workers, is getting its second airing Tuesday.

The original episode, which aired Feb. 24, featured young campaign workers for now-departed Democratic presidential candidates Dean, Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) and retired Gen. Wesley Clark: Sandra Abrevaya, Chris Lavery and Amad Jackson, respectively. The second episode features that trio plus Marvin Nicholson Jr., “body man” to Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Classic footage includes Lieberman serenading Lavery on his birthday, Clark and his wife, Gertrude, enthusing about Jackson (she compares him to a son), and Abrevaya shepherding rock star Joan Jett through Dean’s Des Moines, Iowa, campaign headquarters.

The first episode of “Staffers” will have an “encore presentation” at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and will be followed by the premiere airing of the second.