Democratic Socialists and the California Working Families Party are fielding 25 candidates across California this fall, with 10 nearly certain to win. The races show how independent voters and the state's open primary system shape the left's push to move the Democratic Party further left.
A new California poll shows Prop. 39 has a narrow lead among likely voters, but undecided voters—mostly Democrats—could swing the race either way. An analysis of who is undecided reveals the true state of close contests.
In California's top-two primary system, Marin County's Assembly race between two Democrats will be decided by independent voters. Jackie Elward and Eric Lucan differ sharply on AI regulation, wealth taxes, and progressive priorities.
No Republican reached the November ballot in the race for Assembly District 68, so 68,000 independent voters will decide between DSA-recommended Jessie Lopez and moderate Democrat David Penaloza.
Assembly District 66 sends two Democrats to November with no Republican in the race, leaving 97,000 independents to choose between a socialist-backed progressive and a moderate with union and law enforcement support.
A DSA-recommended candidate and a moderate Democrat are the only two names on the ballot in California's Senate District 24, leaving independent and Republican voters to break the tie.
In California's East LA State Senate District 26, 144,000 independent voters will likely decide a general election between a socialist-backed candidate and a moderate Democrat, with no Republican on the ballot.
The Golden State's nonpartisan primary system allows all voters to participate in this November's legislative races, offering a unique test of how DSA-backed candidates compete when elections aren't decided in closed Democratic primaries.
Voter ID. A billionaire tax and two measures designed to counter it. A nonpartisan Secretary of State. And a constitutional right for every eligible voter to participate in publicly funded elections. Here is what California’s independent-minded voters need to know.
San Francisco's Democratic Party refused to endorse a one-time wealth tax on billionaires, creating a rare public split with the state party and exposing tensions between the party's moderate and DSA-aligned wings.
Cara Brown McCormick
IVN Editorial Board
Alex Segura, Latino News Network
