From San Diego Free Press
A regular reader of this column has developed an app allowing voters to compare side by side recommendations of five organizations, make a choice, and generate a list to help in filling out the ballot.
The five groups included are San Diego Free Press (yay!), Democrats for Equality, the San Diego Democratic Party, Equality California, and Planned Parenthood. Further info on candidates and ballot measures, sans recommendations, is available via the SD Indivisible Voter Guide link on the left side of the page in the app.. (Full disclosure: I am one of the authors of the Indivisible Guide)
Creator Viola Glenn says this guide is a living document and is willing to add more lists from progressive organizations. Give it a try!
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There are eleven days to go until election day and, according to PoliticalData.Com, 13% of the City of San Diego’s mail-in ballots have been received at the Registrar’s office.
It’s still early in the game, but Democrats and younger voters appear to be mailing in their ballots slightly faster than Republicans in general, especially if you consider that older GOP types always vote.
Uncertainty over voter turnout and crowded ballots led the Cooks Political Report yesterday to shift California Congressional contests in the 39th and 49th House districts to “toss-up” from “leans Democratic” One other factor at play in California is President Trump’s rising approval ratings, possibly coming from positive economic reports and the possibility of success in the Korea talks.
While the Democrats lead in polling on generic ballots has dropped to 5%, there does not appear to be a drop in that party’s enthusiasm, as better than usual turnouts in primaries around the country indicate.
Photo: Doug Porter
One wildcard for Republicans is the internecine battle in the House over immigration reform. Should either side (less vs more restrictive) prevail in a vote, the losers voter bases will be energized.
Representatives Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and Will Hurd (R-Texas), are circulating a discharge petition enabling a vote on immigration if they can collect signatures from 218 lawmakers. They have 203 signatures at present and expect to make it over the top in coming days.
A successful effort will mean four immigration proposals that deal with the DACA program will be voted on and the bill with the highest number of votes over 218 will pass.
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Polls Part One: A USC/Los Angeles Times poll shows the fight for second place in the governor’s race is on between John Cox, a Republican, and Antonio Villaraigosa. Given the high number (39%) of undecided voters and the closeness of the polling sample (11 & 10%, respectively) the winner is anybody’s guess.
The Cox campaign is benefitting from PAC advertising paid for by supporters of Gavin Newsom looking to make the general election contest a slam dunk. Villaraigosa’s riding a massive cash infusion for PACs from charter school advocates.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom leads both by at least 10%. Only the two candidates regardless of party will appear on the November ballot.
Polls Part Two: ‘Congressman Duncan D. Hunter may be a crook, but at least he’s one of us’ seems to be the prevailing sentiment in the 50th Congressional District.
A poll sponsored by the Union-Tribune and 10News says 43% of those queried support the incumbent Congressman, who is being investigated by the FBI following complaints of illegal campaign expenditures.
The poll found that President Donald Trump’s job performance is the single most important issue with voters, with 29 percent saying it was the biggest factor when they’re considering who they’ll vote for in the midterm. Another 19 percent said the proposed border wall — a project supported by Hunter as well as his father, Duncan L. Hunter, the district’s immediate past representative — was their most important issue.
The poll found that voters’ opinion of Trump is strongly tied to who they’re supporting for the House.
Seventy-three percent of voters who approve of the president are supporting Hunter, while 9 percent are backing Wells. Another 5 percent support Republican businessman Shamus Sayed. Another 11 percent who said that they approve of Trump are undecided.
Perhaps the most shocking thing about the polling was the fifth place finish (5%) for Democrat Josh Butner, widely regarded as the national party insider’s favorite. Patrick Malloy, Hunter’s 2016 opponent who has barely campaigned this year, polled at 7%.
Ammar Campa led the Democrats in the polling (10%). One in four voters remains undecided.
Law and Disorder: Is there something Sheriff Bill Gore ought to be telling San Diegans? Like maybe, ‘I’m sorry?’
Searches for victim’s address
Downloads victim’s photos
Sends both to personal e-mail address
Views case updates 44 times
Sheriff Bill Gore does nothingHow many more excuses is Bill Gore going to give the public?https://t.co/ZafmjOuyqR
— Dave Myers for Sheriff (@MyersSD30) May 23, 2018
Outside Agitator: Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has endorsed San Diego District Attorney candidate Genevieve Jones-Wright for the June primary.
Genevieve Jones-Wright talking with voters. Photo by Doug Porter
Krasner is considered a national model for reform-minded elected prosecutors across the country. In addition to transforming his agency into one leading the fight for criminal justice reform, he’s refusing to seek the death penalty, rejected the illegal use of stop-and-frisk, and is working to reform Philadelphia’s cash bail system.
While refocusing the DA’s Office on prosecuting serious crimes, Krasner’s office seeks alternatives to incarceration — dramatically reducing the number of prisoners held, saving millions of tax dollars and helping break the cycle of recidivism in Philadelphia.
This endorsement will doubtlessly be seized upon by the defenders of the local status quo as further evidence of Jones-Wright’s subversive nature.
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