Elections

Jason Kinney, center, greets state officials and staffers near the Capitol in Sacramento on the first day of the 2019 Legislative session. Photo for CALmatters by Byrhonda Lyons.

Politics

As the revolving door turns, a Capitol fixer is poised to ascend with Gavin Newsom—and legal weed

Jason Kinney has made a lucrative and powerful career in Sacramento by moving from government to campaigns to industry lobbyist to, now, advisor to Gavin Newsom's transition team. The question is whether he is working for an incoming administration that he will soon seek to influence, as he leaves the lobbying firm, Capitol Strategies.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• December 12, 2018

Elections

Your county’s favorite? Where state props succeeded and failed across California

These maps illustrate how California counties split over the midterm ballot propositions.

By

Ben Christopher

• November 30, 2018

Elections

Those flipped House seats created a visible Dem wave—but big blue shifts also lurked beneath the surface

In every single congressional district that featured a face-off between a Democrat and Republican in this midterm and the last, the California electorate shifted further blue. The average Democratic gain was 9 percentage points.

By

Ben Christopher

• November 29, 2018

Woman with her hands up, unsure of the answer. That's how GOP voters felt about several ballot races in California's primary.

Elections

Why bother? Many Republicans skipped voting when their option was Dem or Dem

The data shows how California's top-two primary left GOP voters with few good options—or an option they couldn't stomach—in several key races.

By

Ben Christopher

• November 28, 2018

An elephant sitting in a hammock on the beach and look at sea.

Elections

Whiter, poorer, Trumpier: the new Republican California

The midterm elections whittled away all the purple sections of the state now represented by the GOP, leaving only the bleeding-red core.

By

Ben Christopher

• November 27, 2018

Elections

A new political way, perhaps

Julie Meier Wright, San Diego This race for Insurance Commissioner was too close to call for more than a week. One could take a different view: that an independent candidate, despite the lack of the institutional infrastructure of the two major parties, as well as the brand—positive or negative—did exceedingly well and gave centrists hope […]

By

Reader Reactions

• November 27, 2018

Like a bullhorn, hundreds of millions of campaign dollars are amplifying the message from key industries to California voters.

Elections

How much did interest groups pay per vote? The answer, as we break down the midterms with data

Who got the best deal at the ballot box this year? We look at how much money was spent on each ballot proposition per vote.

By

Ben Christopher

• November 26, 2018

Crowds arrive at California's Capitol for the 2017 Sacramento Women's March. Photo by Jim Heaphy courtesy of Creative Commons

Elections

Record number of women candidates win in California’s 2018 election

The 2018 midterm election in California was a highwater mark for women seeking elected office—as well as a reminder of just how male-dominated our politics still are.

By

Ben Christopher

• November 20, 2018

President Donald Trump points at the crowd during a rally.

Elections

How President Trump helped Democrats flip California House seats

Dislike of President Trump motivated many Californians to vote for Democrats and helped the party flip six seats in the U.S. House.

By

Laurel Rosenhall

• November 19, 2018

Democrat Ricardo Lara was declared the victor in his bid to become California's next insurance commissioner. CALmatters photo

Elections

Lara wins for state insurance commissioner—another loss for California right-of-center candidates

Adding insult to the debilitating injury California's Republican Party sustained on Election Day, Democratic state Sen. Ricardo Lara has beaten Republican-turned-political independent Steve Poizner to become the the state's next insurance commissioner.

By

Ben Christopher

• November 16, 2018