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This is my post-election column where I analyze the impact of independent voters who came out in force last Tuesday, almost 34 million of us. Huge. The stats and takeaways are at the end of this column, dear reader, so if you prefer to cut to that chase, scroll on down. Suffice it to say that independents are swinging between cycles of disruption and cycles of stabilization, all the while searching for systemic changes that will take us to new ground. Independent rather than partisan ground. Th

The California Republican Party isn’t salvageable at this time. The Grand Old Party is dead – partly because it has failed to separate itself from today’s toxic, national brand of Republican politics. Painful though it was, that was the message I delivered at the California Priorities Summit, sponsored by the Sacramento Bee in Sacramento last week. I’ve spent my entire adult life in Republican politics, so for me to make such a comment wasn’t easy. But it doesn’t make it any less true. I and o

Assemblyman Jim Cooper is passionate about keeping Californians safe. It's a message he made clear to me at the Independent Voter Project (IVP) conference in Hawaii. The former Sacramento County sheriff's captain is no stranger to criminal justice reform. Since he assumed office in 2014, Assemblyman Cooper has been on a mission to reform the system and, in his words, "make it more accountable to the perpetrators, and empower victims." To that end, voters will get to weigh in on Coopers 2020 ba

Blanca Rubio and her sister Susan have made history. The two are now the first sisters to serve in the California legislature concurrently. Blanca represents the 48th Assembly district, her sister Susan, just elected State Senator, will serve Senate district 22. Blanca spoke about her family's remarkable road to Sacramento at the Independent Voter Project's retreat in Hawaii, a conference attended by business, political and community leaders. Blanca Rubio, aka Wonder Woman, at IVP Conference

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - The first thing that comes to mind when we see a burning building, people suffering, a community ravaged by disaster is not whether or not we are looking at Republicans or Democrats; conservatives or liberals. We see neighbors. We see families in need. We see fellow Americans. If there is one thing I know about our society, it is that at our core we are mostly compassionate people. We empathize with each other in times of great tragedy and hardship. We come together to give

Attorney General Jeff Sessions' resignation from his post this week at the behest of the president was a cherry on top of another string of wins for the marijuana legalization movement in America. Although he was not asked to resign because of his overtly hostile position toward the marijuana legalization movement in the United States and the consumption of the plant itself (as a U.S. Senator he once said, "Good people don't smoke marijuana.")–– His removal from office does pave the way for a

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - The general election in the heavily Democratic California State Senate District 22 (Industry, West Covina) came down two Democrats Tuesday, Susan Rubio and former State Assemblymember Mike Eng. Yet it wasn't the Democratic Party's pick that ended up winning the election. Rubio, seen as a more independent-minded Democrat, defeated Eng 52-47. Rubio had the endorsement of several current and former elected officials (at the local and state level), nonprofit organizations, publi

In a special episode of "In Full Color," IVN Author Wes Messamore and I discuss the history made in the 2018 midterm elections, and what it means for independent-minded voters going forward: * An independent candidate is on the cusp of making history in California, but the blue wave has made it a too-close-to-call race. * National polls missed the mark in some congressional races like CA-10, where Republican US Rep. Jeff Denham held on to his seat in an extremely tight race. * Speaking of po

San Diego, Calif.- In the opaque world of politics, it's often times difficult to get a clear, consistent message. In San Diego, this relatively under-the-radar election reform has fundamentally changed San Diego's political accountability, and in turn, representation. In what started about three years ago with the drafting of San Diego City's Measure K by the Independent Voter Project, both the city and now the county have removed the "50%+1" rule that insiders refer to as an "incumbent prote

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - Independent candidate Steve Poizner brought in the most votes of any independent in a statewide race in California history, but it may not have been enough to compete with the blue wave that swept the state Tuesday. Poizner, running for California Insurance Commissioner -- a closely watched race by politicos not just in California, but nationwide -- is currently trailing Democrat Ricardo Lara by 1.6 points with 97% of precincts reporting. It's possible that the late absente