election 2024

Journalists watch Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis debate Gov. Gavin Newsom in Alpharetta, Georgia, on Nov. 30, 2023. Photo by Elijah Nouvelage, Reuters

Commentary

Newsom deserves credit for doing what few Democrats will, confronting GOP in DeSantis debate

Democrats need to push back more aggressively against the GOP, argues veteran strategist Garry South. Gavin Newsom has been doing this in so many ways, and the debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was part of that.

By Garry South • December 1, 2023

Journalists watch Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis debate California Governor Gavin Newsom on a screen in the media room, in Alpharetta on November 30, 2023. Photo by Elijah Nouvelage, Reuters

Commentary

Cowboys vs. Seahawks game was a better show than Newsom vs. DeSantis

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faced off in a televised debate Thursday night. Those who opted for the Dallas vs. Seattle football game got a better show.

By

Dan Walters

• December 1, 2023

Politics

Five key moments from the Newsom-DeSantis debate

The high-stakes Newsom-DeSantis debate devolved into name-calling and arguing over facts — with the backdrop of the presidential campaign.

By

Alexei Koseff

• November 30, 2023

Politics

Pick a team, watch the Newsom-DeSantis debate

“This has been a long time coming,” Fox News host Sean Hannity says in a hype video. It sure has. And many in the political world seem to be treating tonight’s long-awaited face-off between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a sporting event. So we’ve got the political debate version of […]

By

John Osborn D'Agostino

• November 30, 2023

Technology leaders attend a generative artificial intelligence meeting in San Francisco, as the city is trying to position itself as the “AI capital of the world." June 29, 2023. Photo by Carlos Barria, Reuters

Commentary

Californians want lawmakers to safeguard elections from artificial intelligence

Consensus is rare, but nearly all Californians agree on stopping AI and disinformation’s potentially disastrous impact on upcoming elections. This should be a wakeup call for the California Legislature.

By Jonathan Mehta Stein • November 30, 2023

From left, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Photos by Rebecca Blackwell, AP Photo and Miguel Gutierrez Jr, CalMatters

Commentary

Newsom vs. DeSantis: A real debate on the issues or just more mudslinging?

After months of long-distance exchanges, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will have a face-to-face debate on Thursday. Will it be a mature conversation or just more mudslinging?

By

Dan Walters

• November 29, 2023

Protesters calling for a ceasefire of Israeli bombing in Gaza interrupted the general session at the California Democratic Convention in Sacramento on Nov. 18, 2023. The group broke past security and gained access to the general session events at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Politics

California Democrats are divided on Senate race, Gaza war

Rep. Barbara Lee edged Adam Schiff for the most delegates for the U.S. Senate race. The state Democratic Party convention was divided and disrupted by protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

By

Yue Stella Yu

• November 19, 2023

Voting booths in front of an altar for Dias de los Muertos during the Latino Mock Voting event organized by The League of United Latin American Citizens in Tulare on Nov. 1, 2023. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters

Politics

Many Latino Californians aren’t voting. Can U.S. Senate candidates motivate them?

Latino voters are up for grabs in the 2024 California election, and could help decide who wins the U.S. Senate seat. But will the campaigns do enough outreach to convince them?

By

Yue Stella Yu

• November 16, 2023

Tony Strickland, Mayor of Huntington Beach, right, speaks at a Veteran's Day ceremony in Huntington Beach on Nov. 11, 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

Politics

The Pride flag is gone. Library books are under review. It’s a new era of backlash politics in California

Lacking power at the state level, conservatives are leaning into local governance to protest California’s progressive politics. The fight in Huntington Beach could be a harbinger of what’s to come.

By

Alexei Koseff

• November 15, 2023

Vice President Kamala Harris swears in Laphonza Butler to the U.S. Senate at the Capitol in Washington D.C. on on Oct. 3, 2023.

Commentary

Why Newsom’s Senate appointment gives California voters more power in the 2024 election

A bill in Congress would bar California governors from appointing senators and instead require an accelerated special election. But history shows that appointments routinely lose elections, giving voters the rare opportunity to pick a new U.S. senator.

By Joshua Spivak • November 13, 2023

Election 2024