CommentsBCK FILE--With the November 6 midterm elections right around the corner, it’s time to put down the beach reads to take a look at some important races.
Because California has a jungle primary system where top two vote-getters move on to the general election, the U.S. senate race is between two Democrats, longtime incumbent Dianne Feinstein and Kevin DeLeon. The Governor’s race positions Lieutenant Gov. Gavin Newsom against John Cox, a GOP businessman who came in second in the primary. The House races in California are especially heated. The Democrats hope to capture at least 10 of 14 GOP-held seats in November.
Let’s take a look at some of the upcoming races.
Feinstein and DeLeon
If expected frontrunner Feinstein keeps her Senate seat for a fifth term, the 85-year old Senior member of the Senate will surpass Hiram Johnson as the longest serving Senator in California history. Although the progressive DeLeon has been endorsed by the California Democratic Party, Feinstein has received endorsements from Barack Obama, Sen. Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, and U.S. Reps. Ted Lieu and Adam Schiff.
The former leader of the State Senate, DeLeon captured 65% of the 333 delegates at the State Democratic Party executive meeting last month. The candidate, who received 11 percent of the primary votes in June, has been a critic of President Donald Trump and supports policies such as single payer healthcare and abolishing the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE).
Feinstein, who captured 44% of the primary vote, has typically taken a more centrist stance but seems to have moved the needle to the left on certain issues. The longtime supporter of capital punishment has announced she now opposes the death penalty. Similarly, she was reversed her views on the legalization of marijuana, supporting the federal legislation that would stop the federal government from interfering in the laws of states like California that have passed legislation legalizing cannabis.
The Senator has been integral in progressive legislation during her career in the Senate, beginning with her role in negotiating a 10-year assault weapon ban during her first term. She has received 100% ratings from both the Human Rights Council and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Feinstein is a Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which will be important during the Cavanaugh hearings.
Newsom and Cox
The Gubernatorial race pits Lieutenant Gov. and Democrat Gavin Newsom against businessman John Cox, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump. Newsom is favored in this race, as no Republican has captured a statewide seat since 2006 and registered Republicans trail behind “No Party Preference” voters. The Trump endorsement is expected to hurt Cox come November.
Newsom has supported gas tax and vehicle fee increases to raise money for transportation infrastructure improvements, which has not been popular with voters. Cox has chaired a gas tax repeal campaign that will appear on the November ballot.
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We’ll continue to follow the midterm elections. In my next column, we’ll take a look at some of the heated House races in the state, where controversial incumbents Devin Nunes and Dana Rohrbacher will be on the ballot to maintain their seats.
Remember to register to vote at https://registertovote.ca.gov/.
Beth Cone Kramer is a professional writer living in the Los Angeles area. She covers Resistance Watch and other major issues for CityWatch.)
-cw
