Despite much talk, as of this week no group has started the process to recall Fresno Unified trustee Terry Slatic. By design, the process isn’t easy. Slatic has been at the center of several high-profile incidents since he took office in December. His colleagues on the school board will vote...
Lawsuit: California Should Open Presidential Primary to Independents
The way California holds its presidential primary violates the constitutional rights of political independents and misuses taxpayer dollars to “benefit wholly private political parties,” a nonpartisan election group will argue in a lawsuit it says it will file this week against the state. A draft filing from by the Independent Voter...
Health Care, Immigration Top Issues at Democrats' 1st Debate
MIAMI — Ten Democrats railed against a national economy and a Republican administration they argued exist only for the rich as presidential candidates debated onstage for the first time in the young 2020 season, embracing inequality as a defining theme in their fight to deny President Donald Trump a second...
Breakouts, Burns, Zingers: What to Watch in Democrats' Debates
WASHINGTON — Sixty seconds for answers, a television audience of millions and, for some candidates, a first chance to introduce themselves to voters. The back-to-back Democratic presidential debates beginning Wednesday are exercises in competitive sound bites featuring 20 candidates hoping to oust President Donald Trump in 2020. The hopefuls range widely in age, sex...
A Million Independent Voters Risk Being Irrelevant in California’s Presidential Primary
Presidential challengers hoping to glide to victory through California’s newly relevant primary, a heads-up: Your electoral fate may hinge on convincing enough left-leaning millennials to send postcards over the holiday season. Welcome to the quirk-filled world of California election law. Here, voters without a registered political party can participate in the Democratic...
Walters: Democratic Voters More Centrist Than Their Party
When the state Democratic Party staged a convention in San Francisco a few weeks ago, it drew many of the seemingly countless would-be presidential candidates – particularly those positioning themselves on the party’s left-most wing. Delegates roared their approval as hopeful after hopeful denounced President Donald Trump and promised a...
Do Democrats Think Joe Biden is Just Too Old?
When it comes to presidential campaigns, the question “are you too old?” is nothing new. In the election of 1840, 67-year-old Whig candidate William Henry Harrison was attacked by the Democratic press as “granny” and “General Mum” over his “age and imbecility.” When he was sworn in after defeating incumbent...
Some Candidates Angry Over New Democratic Debate Rules
Frustration over how the Democratic National Committee is managing the upcoming presidential debates is bursting into the open as several longshot candidates say the party is stacking the process against them. Most of the two dozen declared candidates will be able to participate in the first debate of the 2020...
Dyer Expected to Launch Mayoral Bid on Wednesday
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer is expected to announce his entry into the 2020 mayoral race at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Manchester Center. ABC30s Corin Hoggard, citing emails sent to pastors and business leaders, first reported Dyer's expected event on Twitter. If Dyer tosses his hat into the ring, he...
Preventing 2020 Campaign Cyberattacks Won’t Be Easy or Cheap
WASHINGTON — While candidates were focused on campaigning in 2016, Russians were carrying out a devastating cyber operation that changed the landscape of American politics, with aftershocks continuing well into Donald Trump's presidency. And it all started with the click of a tempting email and a typed-in password. Whether presidential...