Amador County – The majority of Californian voters ignored a rolling GOP tide Tuesday by backing Jerry Brown for Governor and Barbara Boxer for U.S.Senate.
Incumbent Boxer will retain her seat while Brown will return to lead the state for a third term after more than 20 years away.
In both cases, Golden State voters bucked the national trend against political insiders and voted for longtime politicians over wealthy female billionaires who were both former heads of major corporations.
California will be one of the few states to remain blue, with Democrats in both U.S. Senate seats, the governor’s office and in majority control of the legislature. Despite voter frustration over government dysfunction and a state deficit of more than $19 billion, Californians opted for seasoned politicians.
Analysts say the state’s blue trend can be credited to a number of factors. Barbara O’Connor, director of the Institute for Study of Politics and Media at Sacramento State, told the Christian Science Monitor that California will serve as a bellwether for the rest of the country in the future. “Women won’t just (automatically) vote for women. Personal wealth won’t buy elections, and the tea party values on social issues don’t appeal to our one-quarter independents. We already had a likeable outsider (in Governor Schwarzenegger) and aren’t willing to try it again,” she said.
According to a CBS Exit Poll, nearly three out of five women voters supported Boxer, while male voters gave her a slight three point advantage. 56 percent of women voters supported Brown compared to 40 percent for Whitman. 56 percent of women supported Boxer compared to 39 percent for her Republican opponent, Carly Fiorina.
One major deciding factor in California’s races was illegal immigration. Two-thirds of the voters believe undocumented workers should get an opportunity to apply for legal status. A study by the Public Policy Institute of California shows 70 percent of illegal immigrants live with a close family member. Latino activists called it hypocritical for Republican Meg Whitman to denounce illegal immigration while at the same time employing an illegal immigrant for many years. Story by Alex Lane.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
