Watch (or Listen!): As California Election Season Begins, Star Pundit Mark Z. Barabak Scopes Key Races - Plus Gavin Update
Amid Democratic fears that two Republicans will sneak into run-off in contest for governor, Trump's unpopularity boosts chances that partisan control flips in the House - and maybe the Senate.
Amazing but true, there’s an election for governor in California this year, as state voters bid farewell to Gavin Newsom and send him off to campaign for president full-time, instead of just 80 percent of the time.
Although the governor’s contest has drawn more than a dozen candidates who have been raising money, debating, and giving speeches for months, none is exactly a household name, so the race to date has been all but shapeless. It’s also drawn little interest: a statewide poll out this week reported that 61 percent of people said they weren’t following it closely, if at all.
That’s likely to change after next Friday’s final official deadline for candidates to get their name on - or off — the ballot, as the wannabes then begin an 87-day sprint to the June 2 primary.
On this week’s edition of Newsmakers TV, Los Angeles Times ace political columnist Mark Z. Barabak returns with analysis, commentary and insight — weighing in on the possibility that a huge field of low-profile Democrats could occasion a Republican-on-Republican run-off for November, discussing the effort of Silicon Valley billionaires to put their wallets behind a favored dark horse, and sharing up-close-and-personal impressions after seeing the alleged major candidates offer their wares at last week’s Democratic state convention.
Barabak also reprises his reporting on the red-state Democratic governor he calls the “anti-Gavin”; breaks down the numbers behind the ongoing partisan warfare over drawing maps for congressional races; and identifies the key states Republicans are desperately working to hold to insure their control of the Senate.
Plus: the latest on Kamala Harris’s Hamlet act; the implications of a so-called “billionaire tax” being pushed for the ballot by health care unions; and Barabak’s characteristically sunny perspective on Trump’s ongoing threats to seize control of the mid-term elections in crucial states.
All this and more, right here, right now, on Newsmakers TV.
Check out our conversation with Mark Z. Barabak on Episode 549, via YouTube below or by clicking through this link. Our podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or on Soundcloud. TVSB, Channel 17, airs the show every weeknight at 5 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on weekends. KCSB, 91.9 FM, broadcasts the program at 5:30 p.m. on weekends.
FURTHER READING
Here is the Public Policy Institute of California’s latest statewide survey, including the most recent numbers in the governor’s race, plus stats and background about other statewide political figures and issues.
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