First-Time Candidate With Independent Credentials Could Surprise U.S. Senate Race

image
Jeff PowersJeff Powers
Published: 04 Jun, 2018
1 min read

James Bradley freely admits he is a newcomer and an outsider to politics. Hence his low name ID.

So why then is he polling third as a first-time candidate for U.S. Senate?

A University of California, Berkeley poll released Friday has Bradley right behind Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Kevin De León.

It would be a remarkable achievement for a political novice to finish the U.S. Senate race in the top-two. Perhaps it speaks to California voters' thirst for change.

The "Independent Republican"

Bradley is a Coast Guard veteran, has multiple MBA's and is the CFO of a health care startup.

He's a believer in climate change who vehemently opposes California's "sanctuary state" movement. Ironically, the man just ahead of him in the polls, De León, authored SB 54. Bradley, who referred to himself as a longtime independent, said he registered as a Republican for the first time in March, because he said, the Democratic Party was no longer a viable option.

In the Berkeley poll, the 60-year-old Laguna Niguel resident and first-time candidate fell one point behind state Sen. Kevin de León in the battle for second place and a spot on the November ballot.

Click here to Listen to the Podcast:

You Might Also Like

broken california map
EXCLUSIVE: California Commissioner Says Lawmakers Gutted Their Funding BEFORE Prop 50
The fate of California’s independently drawn congressional districts will be decided on November 4, when voters weigh in on a legislative gerrymander and the suspension of congressional maps from the state's independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) under Proposition 50....
08 Oct, 2025
-
8 min read
fl-let-us-vote
Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Opening Florida’s Primaries to 3.4M Independent Voters
A new statewide poll finds near-unanimous agreement among both Democratic and independent voters that Florida’s primaries should be opened to the state’s 3.4 million “No Party Affiliation” (NPA) voters who are currently shut out of taxpayer-funded elections....
10 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read