2022 Winners and Losers
LeAnn
Wed, 12/14/2022 – 07:56
As this is the year’s final California on Your Mind column, let’s pick a few political and policy winners and losers (and a few entities that don’t fit into either category but are still fun to mention) from the previous 11-plus months.
They would include . . .
Winner: California Democrats. The Golden State ended 2022 as it began, a big, blue fortress for Democratic incumbents, aspirants, and their progressive dreams.
California governor Gavin Newsom breezed to reelection (thanks to term limits, he has to step aside in January 2027), as did every other Democrat seeking a statewide office. (Republicans have won only three of 56 state and federal partisan-designated statewide races dating back to 2002). Meanwhile, Democrats maintained their supermajorities in both legislative chambers—62 of 80 seats in the State Assembly; 31 of 40 seats in the State Senate.
One positive note in the face of this lopsided continuity: nearly one-third of California’s state legislators (at least 37 of 120) will be new to the State Capitol. Whether they bring new energy—and sensibilities—to the business of California government will be one of 2023’s more intriguing subplots.
Loser: California Democrats. Despite the aforementioned electoral …read more
Source:: Hoover Institution