The California primary elections on Tuesday might give us a better idea of whether Democrats are headed for a so-called wave election — or whether their recent slide in the generic ballot and the bump in President Trump’s approval rating mean they should worry. The quirks that make the California […] Read more »
How Democrats’ California dream got twisted
… Under California’s system, which was approved by voters in a 2010 ballot proposition, the top two finishers for each office advance to the general election regardless of party. In as many as three Republican-held US House districts across Orange County that Hillary Clinton carried over Donald Trump in 2016, […] Read more »
FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast: The Super Tuesday Of Primary Season
Eight states are holding primary contests on Tuesday, including California, where an unconventional primary system could create headaches for both Democrats and Republicans. The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast team previews the California races and dives deep on how the state evolved over the past three decades into one of the most […] Read more »
How Latino Voting Power Will Count in the California Primary
For more than three decades, political pundits have referred to Latino voters as a “sleeping giant,” to describe a demographic reality that has yet to translate to clear political force. With each presidential election, much is written about how important Latino votes could be in securing the White House. In […] Read more »
Final California Primary Preview: High Stakes for House Democrats
Democrats’ route to the House majority runs through California more than any other state. Nationally, they need to win 23 GOP seats to win the chamber, and in California alone, there are seven Republican incumbents sitting in seats Hillary Clinton carried in 2016. Four of those seven seats include at […] Read more »
Trump is a wartime president — in a war against his political opponents
… Usually when presidents win, they seek to reach out to the political opposition — at least rhetorically — to build a coalition with which to govern. Trump never made that outreach in any significant way, talking often about unifying the country but making clear the gulf between the two […] Read more »