Billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will spend $80 million to help elect Democrats to the House of Representatives, the New York Times reports. Writer Alexander Burns speculates Bloomberg will target more urban areas where President Donald Trump is not as popular, avoiding rural areas. Democrats need...
Zakaria: Dems Face a Hard Sell in November
Democrats remain optimistic about their chances for retaking the House of Representatives in November's mid-term elections. The party's successes in last week's California primary election have buoyed their hopes further. "But they should take note of the bigger picture when it comes to left-right politics these days," warns Washington Post columnist...
Partisan Hypocrisy Allows Recalled Legislator to Stay A Bit Longer
The voters of Southern California spoke during last week’s primary: They no longer wanted state Sen. Josh Newman to represent them in Sacramento. So, why is he still around? Don’t hold your breath for a straight answer. One can’t help but notice the inconsistencies when it comes to swearing in...
California’s 'Top 2' Primary Reverts to Law of the Jungle
Voters who took part in California’s innovative and anti-party “jungle” primary delivered a typical and predictably partisan result in the governor’s race. They sent Democratic Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom as the heavy favorite into a November contest against Republican businessman John Cox. With the liberal Newsom positioning himself as a...
Will Denham-Valadao Immigration Gambit Cross Finish Line?
Will an effort to force a debate on immigration on the House floor cross the finish line? We could find out Thursday. That is the "soft deadline" set by GOP moderates for securing the needed backing to trigger a series of votes. Congressional Republicans need two more signatures from their...
Democrats Dominate Early Fresno District 7 Voting
Veva Islas, one of three candidates vying for the Fresno City Council District 7 seat, sent out a campaign email Wednesday morning stating that "Democratic mail ballots in District 7 so far are outnumbering those of Republicans by almost 3 to 1!" As the race, which is officially nonpartisan, involves...
The Next Speaker of the House: McCarthy or Pelosi?
Now that House Speaker Paul Ryan has announced his retirement from Congress at the end of this term, Dan Walters of CALmatters asks a logical question in his April 16th column: Will the second time be the charm for Bakersfield Congressman Kevin McCarthy? In 2015, Walters notes, "McCarthy’s bid to become speaker...
Take 5: Congressman Lieu on Valley Ag, Trump Impeachment
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) is an outspoken critic of the Trump administration. Take 5 met Lieu during his "Adopt-a-District" town hall Thursday night (April 5) at Clovis West High School in Fresno. Topics Covered in Take 5 Video We asked Lieu his thoughts on: — Valley agriculture, and how President...
Why Unions & Democrats Are Scared to Death of the Janus Case
Last week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The case is little different from Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association on which the Court split 4-4 after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia two terms ago. At issue is whether...
Pelosi Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving for '18 GOP Hopes
Fresh off her failure to protect illegal immigrants, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has her sights set on the 2018 midterms. And she’s not shy about it: “I just want the Democrats to have the gavel. It doesn’t have to be me, but I’m good at what I do.” Republicans beg...