CALIFORNIA: Nearly two dozen races to feature same-party candidates in fall

Sacramento Bee ^ | 6/6/12 | Jim Sanders

[SmithL]

Two members of the same party will square off in more than 20 legislative or congressional elections this November.

The oddity was created by California's new top-two primary system, in which voters could cast ballots for candidates of any party and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election.

Seven California congressional, 13 Assembly and one state Senate race are sure to feature candidates from the same party. In a handful of other races, vote counts were too tight this morning to declare which two candidates will advance to the November ballot.

Most of the same-party head-butting this fall will involve Democrats. Only four races, all of them Assembly contests, are sure to feature a Republican squaring off against another member of the GOP.

Longtime U.S. Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman will be featured in perhaps the most closely watched congressional race featuring candidates of the same party. The two Democrats were thrown together into the 30th District when congressional boundaries were redrawn this year.

Other congressional races that will feature same-party candidates are: Fortney Pete Stark and Eric Swalwell, Democrats, 15th District; Gary Miller and Bob Dutton, Republicans, 31st District; Joe Baca and Gloria Negrete McLeod, Democrats, 35th District; Lucille Royball-Allard and David Sanchez, Democrats, 40th District; Maxine Waters and Bob Flores, Democrats, 43rd District; and Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson, Democrats, 44th District.

[faithhopecharity]

Stalinist Soviet-style elections have arrived in America! Vote! Vote! Be sure to cast your vote! Vote for your “choice” of any of the above (we don’t care, they’re all part of the same gang, anyway).

[WMarshal]

Absolute proof that Demonrats want one party rule!

[WMarshal]

Absolute proof that Demonrats want one party rule!

[Carry_Okie]

Thank you Arnold Schwarzenegger. /s

[NormsRevenge]

Oakland got Mayor Quan thru Ranked Choice voting. could have had Perata. which would have been a ‘rank’ choice imo but Hey.. look at where Moonbeam is.. but I babble on.. :-}

[CounterCounterCulture]

Absolute proof that Demonrats want one party rule!

...And the "Republicans" who allowed that to happen, courtesy of Prop 14, the "Top 2" measure...

Brought to you by "Republicans" such as Abel Maldonado (for his sell-out vote on the 2009 budget and subsequent appointment to Lt. Gov.), then-Governor Arnold SchwarzenKennedy, and Charles Munger, Jr. (current Santa Clara County GOP chairman and financier)

[CounterCounterCulture]

but... but... but... HE CAN WIN! What could possibly go wrong? /s

[forgotten man]

I am tempted to send a few pesos to Bob Flores to help him in his race against Maxine Waters. I wonder if he has a chance. There are a lot of Mexicans living in south central L.A. now.

[mo]

Welcome to the United Soviet States of America..where the Pravda State Media “vet” the candidates to the pleasure and needs of the RinoCrat UniParty.

This “election” will be a non-election...featuring the state approved “candidates”-whose only distinction is whether they are black or white.

The “two-PARTY” system merely means that the R & D in DC gang up on Flyover Country....and laugh all the way to the bank as they do so

[funfan]

The people actually voted Yes for it so you can thank the ill informed voters of California as well. The same voters who voted yes to the train to nowhere and now they changed their mind. I think they all live in my neighborhood.

[funfan]

The people actually voted Yes for it so you can thank the ill informed voters of California as well. The same voters who voted yes to the train to nowhere and now they changed their mind. I think they all live in my neighborhood.

[Carry_Okie]

but... but... but... HE CAN WIN! What could possibly go wrong? /s

Yup, and "He can win" just got the Republican nomination, again. And if you think that what George Bush did the CAGOP was bad...

WASS

[C210N]

feature same-party candidates in fall...

Pardon me, but I can't keep up with what's going on in Californicatia...

Do these candidates have to be married? If they are same-party, can they get married?

[super7man]

I will write in Joseph Stalin on my ballot for any races that have two Democrat candidates. He is my preferred candidate.

[CIB-173RDABN]

Why is anyone surprised. This is exactly the results the ruling elite wanted.

I voted against the proposition that allows this.

The bottom line is that it is not going to make much difference in the end. The Republican party in California may as well close their doors and turn out the light for all the good they have had in restraining the Democrats.

California is heading for a cliff and all this does is speed the train up a little faster, we will go over the cliff sooner rather then later.

[Crazieman]

Aren’t we doing this in the presidential election as well?

[Reagan69]

Insanity.

Could the republican run as third party where there are 2 dems running.?

You can’t make this crap up.

Write in’s allowed or not in Kaliforicatea?

[CounterCounterCulture]

Nope. Top-2 means top 2 vote getters only in the run-off. No third party; no write-ins.

[faithhopecharity]

I get your message, yes. (I liked a couple of the people who lost, too.) But at least both major parties’ voters got to nominate their candidates and have them put before the electorate in November. This is no longer the case in a number of California political races.