Cara Brown McCormick
Cara McCormick, principal at Smart Campaigns, advises on strategy and research. With 10+ years in major races, she led Maine’s historic move to ranked choice voting. Her work focuses on election reforms that improve representation and voter choice.
Articles by Cara
Virginia Expands Ranked Choice Voting After Local Success Stories
The new law makes Virginia’s local ranked choice voting program permanent and broadens it beyond city councils and county boards of supervisors to cover any local governing body, including towns. ...
23 Apr, 2026
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2 min read
We Can Tax Billionaires and Be Smart About It
A wealth tax isn't the best idea. Capital gains reform makes much more sense....
22 Apr, 2026
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4 min read
Top 15 Contributors to California 2026 Citizen Initiative Campaigns (So Far)
With more than six months still to go before voters cast their ballots in November, California’s top 15 ballot-initiative contributors have already poured nearly $200 million into the state’s initiative process....
22 Apr, 2026
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2 min read
The Swalwell COVER-UP: How California's "Open Secret" Finally Exploded
Eric Swalwell went from Democratic frontrunner in the California governor's race to political exile in a matter of days - and somehow nobody in Washington is surprised....
16 Apr, 2026
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2 min read
Billionaires, Voter ID, Uber, and More: The 2026 California Ballot Is Already a Money War
In California, almost $325 million has already been raised in support and opposition to a handful of direct democracy initiatives hoping to appear on the ballot on November 3, 2026. ...
13 Apr, 2026
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15 min read
Congress Left Town; The Coast Guard Went to War Without a Paycheck
Many Americans may not realize that during peacetime, the U.S. Coast Guard operates as part of the Department of Homeland Security and is funded by it, not the Department of Defense. ...
12 Apr, 2026
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4 min read
Why California's Governor Race Is a Trap for Both Parties (Trump Endorses Hilton)
Breaking down Steve Hilton's Trump endorsement, why two Republicans advancing is never going to happen, and how Democrats may be using that fake threat to dismantle nonpartisan primaries altogether....
09 Apr, 2026
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2 min read
Trump Won This Latino California District; Now Independents Will Decide Who Holds It
Donald Trump carried the district by 1.3% in 2024, winning 49.5% to Kamala Harris's 48.2%, a striking outcome in a district where Democrats still held a registration advantage exceeding 13 points....
07 Apr, 2026
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19 min read
Are California's Cannabis Raids Starting to Work?
California has seized more than $1.2 billion in illegal cannabis since 2022. But whether those numbers are moving the needle on the state's entrenched illicit market is another matter....
06 Apr, 2026
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5 min read