Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Democrats' Total Control of State Legislature Hinges on Key Race
By gvwebguy
Published 6 years ago on
November 7, 2018

Share

SACRAMENTO — Democrats’ total dominance of the state Legislature likely comes down to a single state Senate seat in Tuesday’s election.

Republicans have held Senate District 12 for years, but incumbent Anthony Cannella can’t run again due to term limits.

Democrats were pinning their hopes on Assemblywoman Anna Caballero while Republicans fielded Madera County Supervisor Rob Poythress.

Dem Supermajority Within Reach

Democrats need 27 seats for a two-thirds majority in the 40-member Senate and had 26 heading into the election. The party is also working to defend its supermajority in the Assembly.

A supermajority would let Democrats raise taxes, suspend legislative rules or override vetoes without Republican votes.

That would be a benefit to Democrat Gavin Newsom, who polls showed leading in the governor’s race. If Republican John Cox wins, it could frustrate his efforts.

All 80 California state Assembly seats and half the Senate seats are up for election. But as a practical matter only a few could swing between the two major political parties as Democrats fan a backlash to President Donald Trump and Republicans rally opposition to last year’s gas and vehicle tax hikes that annually raise $5 billion to support transportation improvements.

18-Point Voter Registration Advantage

Though Cannella held Senate District 12 for eight years, Democrats are at an 18-point advantage in voter registration in the district that includes all or parts of Fresno, Madera, Merced, Monterey, San Benito and Stanislaus counties.

Supporters of Caballero, a former Salinas mayor, had to regroup on Election Day after someone broke into her campaign headquarters in Merced and took cellphones and computers used to contact voters, along with 10,000 pieces of campaign literature that volunteers were to hang on doorknobs.

Campaign spokesman Bob Sanders said the thief left behind televisions and a microwave oven. Campaign volunteers were delayed several hours but were still able to reach targeted voters, he said.

Poythress condemned the break-in in a statement saying that campaigns should be run and won on the issues.

Caballero lost to Cannella in 2010 in the mostly rural farming district, and Republicans are emphasizing her support last year for higher gas and car fees.

Republicans Confident in Other Races

Republicans are more confident of retaining challenged seats held by incumbent Sens. Andy Vidak in neighboring Senate District 14 and Janet Nguyen in the predominantly Orange County-based Senate District 34, despite Democrats hope for a backlash to President Donald Trump.

Democrats are considered likely to retain their two-thirds supermajority in the 80-member Assembly, where they need 54 votes and have had 55. Republicans already gave up another vote when voters picked two Democrats to face off for the seat vacated by incumbent GOP Assemblyman Rocky Chavez.

Republicans are targeting Riverside County Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes and several other Democrats representing inland suburban commuter districts for supporting higher gas taxes.

The parties are fighting what Assembly Republicans political director George Andrews called a “money war” over Cervantes’ seat, as well as trying to capitalize on weak primary election support for Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas of Bakersfield.

DON'T MISS

Does Dill Have Magical Powers? What People Once Believed Food Could Do

DON'T MISS

Let’s Keep Innovative Partnerships Crucial to Combating Climate Change: Fresno Dairy Manager

DON'T MISS

Immediate Threat: Mussel Invades California’s Delta, First Time in North America

DON'T MISS

Two-Time Cy Young Winner Blake Snell Opts Out of Contract with Giants

DON'T MISS

No Matter the Outcome, We Are the True Losers of This Election

DON'T MISS

Russia’s Swift March Forward in Ukraine’s East

DON'T MISS

Rapper Young Thug Is a Free Man. Here Are Things to Know About His Plea.

DON'T MISS

AMOR Wellness Trunk-or-Treat Brings 700 Mendota Residents Together for Halloween Fun

DON'T MISS

What Kind of Trouble Is Miguel Arias Trying to Stir Up This Time?

DON'T MISS

MrBeast Probe Ends With Some Employees Fired but Finds No Proof of Sexual Misconduct Allegations

UP NEXT

Lyft Pays $2.1 Million to Settle Case Alleging the Ride-Hailing Service Deceived Drivers

UP NEXT

Southern California County Official Pleads Guilty to Bribery Charge in COVID Funds Scheme

UP NEXT

Visalia Rollerblader Suffered Major Injuries After Being Struck by Vehicle

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Indicted for Possessing Stolen Guns

UP NEXT

Anti-Semitic Incident at Oakland Cafe Raises Concerns About Rising Intolerance

UP NEXT

Schwarzenegger Endorses Harris, Warns Against Another Trump Term

UP NEXT

Will Noncitizens Be Able to Vote? This California City Will Decide Their Fate

UP NEXT

California Voters Consider Controversial Vacation Homes Tax in Iconic Lake Tahoe Area

UP NEXT

Los Angeles Sees Bus Burned, Store Thefts and Rowdy Crowds After Dodgers Win World Series

UP NEXT

On Elon Musk’s X, Dems Are an Endangered Species While GOP Goes Viral

Two-Time Cy Young Winner Blake Snell Opts Out of Contract with Giants

14 hours ago

No Matter the Outcome, We Are the True Losers of This Election

14 hours ago

Russia’s Swift March Forward in Ukraine’s East

14 hours ago

Rapper Young Thug Is a Free Man. Here Are Things to Know About His Plea.

14 hours ago

AMOR Wellness Trunk-or-Treat Brings 700 Mendota Residents Together for Halloween Fun

14 hours ago

What Kind of Trouble Is Miguel Arias Trying to Stir Up This Time?

14 hours ago

MrBeast Probe Ends With Some Employees Fired but Finds No Proof of Sexual Misconduct Allegations

15 hours ago

Lyft Pays $2.1 Million to Settle Case Alleging the Ride-Hailing Service Deceived Drivers

15 hours ago

Fresno Man Shot to Death at NW Apartment Complex Is Identified

15 hours ago

Guns, Marijuana, Gambling: Fresno’s Smoke Shop Enforcement Issues $5M in Citations

16 hours ago

Does Dill Have Magical Powers? What People Once Believed Food Could Do

How often have you seen someone in a movie make a necklace of garlic to protect themselves from a vampire? Of course, vampires aren’t ...

5 mins ago

5 mins ago

Does Dill Have Magical Powers? What People Once Believed Food Could Do

1 hour ago

Let’s Keep Innovative Partnerships Crucial to Combating Climate Change: Fresno Dairy Manager

13 hours ago

Immediate Threat: Mussel Invades California’s Delta, First Time in North America

14 hours ago

Two-Time Cy Young Winner Blake Snell Opts Out of Contract with Giants

14 hours ago

No Matter the Outcome, We Are the True Losers of This Election

A resident outside an apartment complex that was destroyed by Russian bombardment in Siversk, in Ukraine, Oct. 30, 2024. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)
14 hours ago

Russia’s Swift March Forward in Ukraine’s East

14 hours ago

Rapper Young Thug Is a Free Man. Here Are Things to Know About His Plea.

14 hours ago

AMOR Wellness Trunk-or-Treat Brings 700 Mendota Residents Together for Halloween Fun

Search

Send this to a friend