Comments on Beyond The Polls: State of the Day - California

I wrote to Mr. Barone and received this response: ...

2008-12-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

I wrote to Mr. Barone and received this response: "Thanks for your comment. I'll pass this along
to the editor."

Sounds like it was just a researcher who put the remark in the book, rather than Barone himself.

I think it's very interesting that you would take the word of an author or researcher who has probably never even met Sanchez over that of an individual who has known her for decades.

If you want to write to Barone, his email address is MBARONE@usnews.com.

If you can get Barone to retract what he wrote in ...

2008-12-10T17:54:00.000-05:00

If you can get Barone to retract what he wrote in the Almanac, "like her sister, Sanchez had used her non-Latino married name until she started to run for the House," I'll retract my statements.

Rep. Sanchez did not change her name. Perhaps the ...

2008-12-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

Rep. Sanchez did not change her name. Perhaps the Press/Telegram is referring to a different tactic.

As for the Williams/Avalos/Royce races, I stand corrected regarding 2004. The result I quoted was 2002: Royce 63, Avalos 37.

I quote that directly from The Alamanc of American...

2008-12-10T02:01:00.000-05:00

I quote that directly from The Alamanc of American Politics, p. 265. The Long Beach Press-Telegram said of Sanchez changing her name and residence, "It may have been the only way for Sanchez to win, as an unemployed labor activist with little political experience, but the tactics were deceptive, dishonest, and mean."

Incidentally, you are correct on the timing of her divorce. That really is tangential to the issue.

AR - You are factually incorrect with #2.
Congr...

2008-12-09T23:18:00.000-05:00

AR - You are factually incorrect with #2.
Congresswoman Sanchez, like many professional women, has ALWAYS used her maiden name throughout her career.
She was still married during her first election (primary and general of 2002).
She and her husband split up at the end of her first term.

1. Agreed

2. Sanchez used her Anglo married...

2008-12-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

1. Agreed

2. Sanchez used her Anglo married name, even after she got divorced, until she ran for this seat. It was a major issue in her first primary. Ironically, her sister did the same thing. This is not unheard of. Even more ironically, Sanchez is set to become the first unmarried mother to give birth in Congress.

3. You're just incorrect about that one. You cited the 2008 result.

4. Bill Hedrick simply didn't have the money or the campaign presence to be a first tier candidate. Louis Vanderberg would be a sixth tier candidate.

1) I hope the DCCC has come to their senses and fi...

2008-12-09T00:20:00.000-05:00

1) I hope the DCCC has come to their senses and figured out it's time to stop throwing money at Charlie Brown.

2) What, pray tell, is Linda Sanchez's "Anglo married name?" To whom is she married? Please inform us all, as I'm sure Linda herself would be interested to know.

3) In 2004 Ed Royce ran against Christina Avalos, not Tilman Williams (63/37%).

4) Bill Hedrick is a third tier opponent? Compared to whom, Louis Vandenberg? He's a hugely popular local politician who's serving his fifth term in nonpartisan office.

Katie,

Yes, the 2008 numbers aren't final y...

2008-12-08T01:10:00.000-05:00

Katie,

Yes, the 2008 numbers aren't final yet, and I will update them on my next report. After Calvert's poor performance, I agree that he'll get serious competition from some Democrat.

The SOS website hasn't updated with final provisio...

2008-12-08T00:12:00.000-05:00

The SOS website hasn't updated with final provisional ballot counts from Riverside County. Adding Riv and OC together from each ROV, Hedrick and Calvert hit a 49%/51% split. Hedrick lost by a mere 6000 votes in a CD considered (falsely, it seems) solid Republican. You can bet Hedrick will run again, and most certainly can win in 2010.