Calif. Shuts GOP Out From Senate Race With 2 Dems Advancing To Runoff

[beastie boy]

Source: TPM



LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a historic first, California voters Tuesday sent two Democrats, both minority women, to a November runoff for the state's open U.S. Senate seat.

The matchup between state Attorney General Kamala Harris and 10-term Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez marks the first time since voters started electing senators a century ago that Republicans will be absent from California's general election ballot for the Senate. The outcome reaffirms the GOP's diminished stature in the nation's most populous state.

The two were among 34 candidates seeking the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer, a liberal favorite first elected a generation ago, in 1992.

Under California election rules, only two candidates — the top vote-getters — advance to the November election.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/california-senate-race-between-two-minority-female-democrats

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With Hillary making history in California, it's easy to overlook the other historic development in the State's elections.

[scottie55]

1. Not Enough Idiots In California......

To support any Republican these days you would need to be an idiot.

In California the time isn't 1928..... Up isn't down..... Corporations aren't people...... Billionaires pay taxes......

[beastie boy]

2. The idiot demographics have changed significantly in the past 30 years, haven't they?

An encouraging trend!

[muntrv]

20. CA still has Darrel Issa, doesn't it?

[turbinetree]

23. And Duncan D. Hunter, Jeff Denham, Kevin McCarthy, Dana Rochrabacher---------------for starters

[Hortensis]

3. The GOP has increasingly been mud in California for years,

especially since their 1994 ballot initiative, Proposition 187, with which the GOP set out to institutionalize further discrimination, including blocking undocumented workers from public education and healthcare.

The national GOP is increasingly concerned that this same syndrome will play out nationally. As it should. Most of the 26% or so of the electorate who remain in the GOP are hard core, and Trump's merely torn the top off the pustule the leadership's been trying to keep powdered over.

[stopwastingmymoney]

6. This!

And you know what they say, 'As goes California...'

I'm thrilled about this

[turbo_satan]

9. That was brilliant

"...Trump's merely torn the top off the pustule the leadership's been trying to keep powdered over."

Quite an elegant turn of phrase. Apt, too. Kudos!

[jeffreyi]

12. Well said!

Trump is the festering carbuncle on the GOP's backside.

[Hortensis]

13. Good. Tho I think he's now popped up on their nose.

Enough of the gross turn, though. I'd rather laugh over Ryan's and O'Connell's predicaments and how they so deserve them. I was reading that, of the 3 GOP power groups, Trump's, those who had backed Cruz, and the leadership, the leadership is weakest.

[brooklynite]

4. This was always a SAFE-D seat...

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Yes but the new rules make for a choice between two Democrats, this is not how it has always been.

It's a first.

[PatSeg]

5. That is remarkable

And they are both excellent candidates as well.

[iandhr]

7. Go Kamala.

Just MHO

[niyad]

10. thank you for reminding us of this. buh-bye gop.

[Nitram]

11. Great news!

[LeftishBrit]

14. I was nerdy enough to look up the history of this senate seat, and yes, it's the seat once held by

a certain Richard M. Nixon!

Some things do change for the better.

[bemildred]

16. The CA senate delegation went female and Dem in the 90s with Boxer & Feinstein.

And it stayed that way too.

Before that it was a bunch of Republicans going back to when Republicans weren't all conservatives.

[beastie boy]

19. Nerds rule!

[bucolic_frolic]

15. Laughter and Glee all around

Is there a bad choice here?

Not for Democrats.

Way to go California!

The GOP can't even think about pushing a write-in candidate, it
would be a total waste of money

[Native]

17. This is shaping up to be such an extraordinary week!

[AntiBank]

18. Kamala Harris is going to be a superb Senator!

[Brother Buzz]

24. Not so fast

Harris was the top vote getter in the primary, but Sanchez will receive most of the Republican vote in November. It's going to be a horse race right down to the wire.

[SaschaHM]

21. To be honest, this makes sense in such a safe blue state.

Republicans now can actually make a choice between which Democrat they want instead of throwing their support behind a losing candidate.

On the slightly sadder side, this might be bad for Kamala Harris if Republicans decide to coalesce behind Loretta Sanchez while democrats are split between the two.

[deurbano]

22. That's my concern. I prefer Harris, and this gives Republicans too much

ability to influence the final outcome. I really don't see this an an advantage for Democrats, since we'd win in Nov., anyway. And this pits Democrats against Democrats even after the primary...