Analysis
Newsom vs. DeSantis – the inevitable showdown?
While mostly political, the feud between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis occasionally veers into the personal.
While mostly political, the feud between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis occasionally veers into the personal.
Republicans and Democrats, aides and outside advocates, Assembly and Senate, they may not agree on much. But there does appear to be consensus on at least one critical issue: the Swing Space elevators. They’re awful. Everyone seems to agree on that.
In this highly polarized world, a young Republican legislative director believes it is still possible to rise above political differences.
This is the second in a series looking at efforts to reach gender parity in the California Legislature. Today we offer a closer look at one of the biggest challenges female candidates and officeholders face – parenting. Read Part I here.
Running for office was one of the scariest experiences of
Advocates for greater gender parity in California politics believe that women could reach 50 percent – or beyond – before the end of the decade. On Election Day 2022, women took 11 seats previously held by men, three in the Senate and eight in the Assembly, bringing the total number of women in the Legislature to 50, or 42 percent of the membership.
Watching analyses of this coming election can be a bit like watching a tennis match. The lead in many races – from US Senate contests to local competitive house and legislative districts, has seemingly volleyed back and forth for months. If it all seems less stable than past elections, that’s not just your perception – it really is.
Asian American Pacific Islanders, or AAPI, is a rising political force, but it has yet to flex its full muscle. About 16 percent of the nation’s 22 million people identified as Asian and Pacific Islander Americans live in California, according to the latest census, but the community’s elected state officeholder are less than their numbers suggest.
OPINION: California’s long-suffering Republicans, now down to less than 24 percent of registered voters, haven’t prevailed in a statewide election since 2006. But like those kids in the well-known Christmas tale, every election cycle they have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.
ANALYSIS: Ballots have been mailed to all 22 million California voters and many have already been returned. As has been the pattern for the last several election cycles, this begins a month-long stretch where most voters will cast their ballots by mail or at in-person voting centers. Some will wait until Election Day and vote at the polls, but that is a declining portion of the electorate.
An effort to recall Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has not even reached the ballot, but foes and backers of the governor already have raised or spent more than $7.5 million, with the likelihood of much, much more to come. The fundraising is a work in progress but all but certain to expand exponentially if, as expected, the effort makes the ballot and an election is held later this year.