Election 2018

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.

Why are California Republicans so misaligned with voter sentiment? They delude themselves into believing there is a silent conservative majority out there somewhere, if only they can put up the right candidates.

Up to this point, information technology systems have been the province of system administrators.  Now, a digital transformation must be a focus of incoming Gov. Newsom. The choice is simple. California can continue its role as a lighthouse state or let others pass us by.

It has been 132 years since a Democrat governor of California last turned over the keys to the Capitol’s corner office to another Democrat. Social and technological changes of the past 132 years have been vast. But some political rhetoric is uncomfortably similar.

Ellen O. Tauscher: Democrats flipped seven congressional seats by organizing and talking directly to voters about issues that mattered most to them. Tom Epstein: Democrats cannot abandon the rest of the country. To win, they must directly engage with rural voters and focus on issues that matter to them.

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

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.

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. 

Earthquakes, floods, mega-fires, a recession and other unforeseen events can disrupt the best-laid plans of any California governor. Potential disasters aside, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom should hit the ground running. Here are five policy initiatives for him to consider:

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