I could see Rick Caruso running for either and being a top 2 to get to the general election, but I can't imagine him prevailing in the general in either race.
He may run as a Democrat, but most Democrats will view him as a DINO, and both LA and CA are just too Democratic these days for a fakey Democrat or Republican to win.
Glad to hear it. Gone are the days when Ronald Reagan’s Oscar-worthy performance as the reassuring Grandfather figure won him not only California’s electoral votes but the presidency. Reagan’s most convincing role ever!
Sadly, Trump’s cringe-worthy performance as a pretend strongman still fooled enough Americans (although not Californians) to again put him in the Oval Office.
Rick Caruso isn't exactly right-wing though from what I've seen (unless there's something I'm missing here).
He's got some reasonable views on the issue of housing as it relates to going away with restrictions that limit development to single-family housing. Caruso during his LA Mayoral Run against Mayor Karen Bass at the time back in 2022 had been interviewed about housing.
I'd venture to say he'll likely run in the mayoral race instead as he's far more fired up about how the city has handled the fires in the Pacific Palisades than more directly at the state government.
Los Angeles mayoral candidates Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass agree that overcrowded living conditions are at the heart of the region’s housing challenges and a critical gateway to homelessness that needs to be addressed to keep people off the streets.
In interviews, the pair offered their insights into tackling overcrowded housing, following a recent Times series that found that L.A.’s leaders over the last century could have alleviated the deplorable living conditions for the region’s poorest residents by building more apartments, taller buildings and public housing.
Instead, they fought against such projects with racist policies that made Los Angeles County the most overcrowded in the nation, with more and more people in working-class neighborhoods forced to cram into the existing housing stock.
Part of the problem with public housing in California is that it requires voter approval for use of public money. It is the only law of its type in the country, the legislature tried to get rid of it in 2024, and it failed to get support.
The problem with enacting housing in CA is that the California Association of Realtors and other groups have an influence on state government. In fact, most Democrats in the State Legislature have either been influence by these groups, gotten donations or even are accommodating to them to the extent where they see potential for housing.
Regarding public housing, I should mention it can be a mixed affair depending on how it's built. When Bernie Sanders ran in the 2016 primary race and heading to the NY Primary then, he had seen public housing projects in NYC under the oversight from the NY Housing Authority run down with negligence in addressing mold, broken elevators and more problems.
I think governments can certainly work with non-profits and sustainable building companies to ensure costs are affordable, reasonable and with the right incentives. Public housing all together though can certainly be with challenges.
Shortly after Eric Adams gets his felony case dismissed, he's looking to sue the Trump administration for monies they are withholding. Suggestion to Eric, look up what "dismissed without prejudice" means.
I had previously said I still thought Adams had a path to victory despite indictments. I was out of the country the last week, and I came back to . . . a lot. I don't think he has a path anymore. He could potentially play spoiler somehow, but he will not be re-elected.
I feel a Fox News or OAN gig is imminent and he'll be removed either by the governor or through the inability committee at the city level. He might resign, but I doubt it.
You have a good point. I think Adams may be trying to stay relevant in whatever way he can assuming he's not going to stay on as Mayor.
Fox News yes but OAN I don't know. OAN is to the US what RT is to Russia whereas Fox News at least allows room for certain independent thinking (and I emphasize "certain" as Fox News is known for always showing a "conservative" slant on things).
If there is any Republican in the country who should fear being primaried from the right, it is probably Brian Kemp, who refused Donald Trump's order to find a few more votes for him in Georgia in 2020. Kemp is no doubt considering the possibility that Trump will endorse an opponent if he decides to run for the Senate.
Hopefully Keith Ellison stays out of the Minnesota Senate race. He has a record of weak election results and he has a troubling history of domestic violence allegations. Any generic Democratic would be a much stronger candidate. The last thing we need is for this race to be a dogfight in 2026.
Seems like politicians are getting more into not saying no right away bc they love the attention. He’d have a hard time winning the primary let alone the GE.
Better that Kirsten Gillibrand and the DSCC stay out of involvement in the MN-SEN race until at least early next year. The primary isn't until August 2026 anyway so there's loads of time still for Senate candidates currently in/contemplating on running to run their respective campaigns.
I just hope we don't beat each other up too much in the primaries in 2026 and beyond. Unfortunately too many get too attached to individual politicians and forget what is really at stake.
Of all the MN politicians who could run and create a big primary against Lt Gov Flanagan, it’d be Rep Craig. She’s the right age and has enough terms under her belt that a Senate promotion would be 100% warranted.
Several buts, though. The MN DFL does its best to avoid expensive ugly primaries. Both parties in MN have party endorsement contests prior to the deadline to file to run. So what’s customary is candidates go for the promotion and if they lose the endorsement, they file to run for their current seat and win re-election. Craig could do this as a Congresswoman but it’d look ridiculous. Too high of a profile to not be in it to win it. That would cause headaches we aren’t accustomed to. This happens (Gov 2010 and 2018) but we’d all be pissed about it bc of the next two points.
Craig won reelection in 2024 by an Amy Klobuchar type of margin vs her typical Pres level numbers. I’m going to be a turd and not look up the numbers again but it’s around a 15% vs 6% win. Considering how 2024 went, it’s clear all her hard work in the district has paid off and ticket splitting does still exist. The DFL would be pissed if she abandoned all of this to run against the Lt Gov.
Lastly, she just leaped frog a few people in seniority and is now the ranking member on the House Agriculture committee. Within four elections, she’s obtained the most important role in the House to Minnesotans. I’d say Speaker/minority leader or top Dem on the Appropriations Committee would be the only other positions MN would deem better. And, appropriations would take some explaining.
As someone outside of MN I would prefer Craig just because she has experience running tough campaigns. If 26 is a D lean cycle of any degree they should be able to hold MN-02. I'd be curious about the bench for that seat.
The Downballot calculated MN-02 voted for Harris by 6 points (52-46). I don't see any such seats as likely to flip red in 2026 even if open, unless it's due to special individual circumstances such as an especially bad Democratic candidate or a strong third party candidate that draws exclusively from Dems.
Should. Still think Craig is a slightly better option than Flanagan but less concerned with her than Ellison given his very close race in 22 or Omar since she can't seem to break 60% in the primary for her own seat.
Ken Martin, the newly installed chair of the Democratic National Committee, is kicking off his first major trip as party leader in an effort for the organization to “get out of D.C.”
Martin’s trip, which begins Monday, will bring him to key swing states including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the blue state of Illinois and two red states, Texas and Missouri, according to details of the trip shared with NBC News. The stops on the trip will include a meeting with the United Steelworkers in Pittsburgh, meetings with the state Democratic Party chairs in Illinois and Missouri, and door-knocking for Democratic state House candidate Dan Goughnour ahead of his March special election outside of Pittsburgh.
“It’s time for the DNC to get out of D.C. — that means getting out of our comfort zone, having tough but honest conversations with voters, and showing that we’re willing to fight for people. Democrats will win by organizing everywhere, competing across the ballot in every community, and uniting working families from all backgrounds,” Martin told NBC News in a statement.
He went on to criticize President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, arguing they have a plan to “give trillions of dollars to billionaires by cutting things like health care for kids, seniors and rural communities — and we can’t let that happen.”
Now that elon and his thieves have gotten hold of millions of classified docs does anyone here feel it is a good idea to freeze your credit with the credit agencies? Hearing rumbles. Thanks.
CA Gov and LA Mayor
I could see Rick Caruso running for either and being a top 2 to get to the general election, but I can't imagine him prevailing in the general in either race.
He may run as a Democrat, but most Democrats will view him as a DINO, and both LA and CA are just too Democratic these days for a fakey Democrat or Republican to win.
Glad to hear it. Gone are the days when Ronald Reagan’s Oscar-worthy performance as the reassuring Grandfather figure won him not only California’s electoral votes but the presidency. Reagan’s most convincing role ever!
Sadly, Trump’s cringe-worthy performance as a pretend strongman still fooled enough Americans (although not Californians) to again put him in the Oval Office.
Rick Caruso isn't exactly right-wing though from what I've seen (unless there's something I'm missing here).
He's got some reasonable views on the issue of housing as it relates to going away with restrictions that limit development to single-family housing. Caruso during his LA Mayoral Run against Mayor Karen Bass at the time back in 2022 had been interviewed about housing.
I'd venture to say he'll likely run in the mayoral race instead as he's far more fired up about how the city has handled the fires in the Pacific Palisades than more directly at the state government.
https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2022-11-01/overcrowding-housing-la-bass-caruso
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Los Angeles mayoral candidates Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass agree that overcrowded living conditions are at the heart of the region’s housing challenges and a critical gateway to homelessness that needs to be addressed to keep people off the streets.
In interviews, the pair offered their insights into tackling overcrowded housing, following a recent Times series that found that L.A.’s leaders over the last century could have alleviated the deplorable living conditions for the region’s poorest residents by building more apartments, taller buildings and public housing.
Instead, they fought against such projects with racist policies that made Los Angeles County the most overcrowded in the nation, with more and more people in working-class neighborhoods forced to cram into the existing housing stock.
Part of the problem with public housing in California is that it requires voter approval for use of public money. It is the only law of its type in the country, the legislature tried to get rid of it in 2024, and it failed to get support.
The problem with enacting housing in CA is that the California Association of Realtors and other groups have an influence on state government. In fact, most Democrats in the State Legislature have either been influence by these groups, gotten donations or even are accommodating to them to the extent where they see potential for housing.
Regarding public housing, I should mention it can be a mixed affair depending on how it's built. When Bernie Sanders ran in the 2016 primary race and heading to the NY Primary then, he had seen public housing projects in NYC under the oversight from the NY Housing Authority run down with negligence in addressing mold, broken elevators and more problems.
I think governments can certainly work with non-profits and sustainable building companies to ensure costs are affordable, reasonable and with the right incentives. Public housing all together though can certainly be with challenges.
https://observer.com/2016/04/bernie-sanders-promises-massive-federal-investment-in-public-housing/
Shortly after Eric Adams gets his felony case dismissed, he's looking to sue the Trump administration for monies they are withholding. Suggestion to Eric, look up what "dismissed without prejudice" means.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/14/adams-trump-migrant-grants-00204470
Does Adams really want to win re-election as Mayor? Doesn't seem like it!
I had previously said I still thought Adams had a path to victory despite indictments. I was out of the country the last week, and I came back to . . . a lot. I don't think he has a path anymore. He could potentially play spoiler somehow, but he will not be re-elected.
I feel a Fox News or OAN gig is imminent and he'll be removed either by the governor or through the inability committee at the city level. He might resign, but I doubt it.
You have a good point. I think Adams may be trying to stay relevant in whatever way he can assuming he's not going to stay on as Mayor.
Fox News yes but OAN I don't know. OAN is to the US what RT is to Russia whereas Fox News at least allows room for certain independent thinking (and I emphasize "certain" as Fox News is known for always showing a "conservative" slant on things).
If there is any Republican in the country who should fear being primaried from the right, it is probably Brian Kemp, who refused Donald Trump's order to find a few more votes for him in Georgia in 2020. Kemp is no doubt considering the possibility that Trump will endorse an opponent if he decides to run for the Senate.
Kemp won his 2022 GOV primary with 72% of the vote. Against a former senator.
The former Senator being Former Senator David Perdue, who sold himself to Trump and became more extreme MAGA just so he could stay relevant.
Oh and Jon Ossoff unseated him in the runoff election, which was awesome.
Hopefully Keith Ellison stays out of the Minnesota Senate race. He has a record of weak election results and he has a troubling history of domestic violence allegations. Any generic Democratic would be a much stronger candidate. The last thing we need is for this race to be a dogfight in 2026.
Seems like politicians are getting more into not saying no right away bc they love the attention. He’d have a hard time winning the primary let alone the GE.
Angie Craig says she is "giving serious consideration" for a Senate bid in MN.
We may have a hotly contested primary. Wonder who and if Gillibrand will intervene for.
https://x.com/AngieCraigMN/status/1891548569858888175?t=wGz7AvC4XwwVLmpTutx4XA&s=19
Better that Kirsten Gillibrand and the DSCC stay out of involvement in the MN-SEN race until at least early next year. The primary isn't until August 2026 anyway so there's loads of time still for Senate candidates currently in/contemplating on running to run their respective campaigns.
I just hope we don't beat each other up too much in the primaries in 2026 and beyond. Unfortunately too many get too attached to individual politicians and forget what is really at stake.
especially amongst Democrats!
Agreed!
Primaries for Democrats in 2026 should be about the issues and pointing out differences between candidates instead of throwing crap at each other.
Of all the MN politicians who could run and create a big primary against Lt Gov Flanagan, it’d be Rep Craig. She’s the right age and has enough terms under her belt that a Senate promotion would be 100% warranted.
Several buts, though. The MN DFL does its best to avoid expensive ugly primaries. Both parties in MN have party endorsement contests prior to the deadline to file to run. So what’s customary is candidates go for the promotion and if they lose the endorsement, they file to run for their current seat and win re-election. Craig could do this as a Congresswoman but it’d look ridiculous. Too high of a profile to not be in it to win it. That would cause headaches we aren’t accustomed to. This happens (Gov 2010 and 2018) but we’d all be pissed about it bc of the next two points.
Craig won reelection in 2024 by an Amy Klobuchar type of margin vs her typical Pres level numbers. I’m going to be a turd and not look up the numbers again but it’s around a 15% vs 6% win. Considering how 2024 went, it’s clear all her hard work in the district has paid off and ticket splitting does still exist. The DFL would be pissed if she abandoned all of this to run against the Lt Gov.
Lastly, she just leaped frog a few people in seniority and is now the ranking member on the House Agriculture committee. Within four elections, she’s obtained the most important role in the House to Minnesotans. I’d say Speaker/minority leader or top Dem on the Appropriations Committee would be the only other positions MN would deem better. And, appropriations would take some explaining.
As someone outside of MN I would prefer Craig just because she has experience running tough campaigns. If 26 is a D lean cycle of any degree they should be able to hold MN-02. I'd be curious about the bench for that seat.
The Downballot calculated MN-02 voted for Harris by 6 points (52-46). I don't see any such seats as likely to flip red in 2026 even if open, unless it's due to special individual circumstances such as an especially bad Democratic candidate or a strong third party candidate that draws exclusively from Dems.
I think any random Dem that’s not Ellison or Omar should be able to hold MN-SEN in a Trump midterm.
Should. Still think Craig is a slightly better option than Flanagan but less concerned with her than Ellison given his very close race in 22 or Omar since she can't seem to break 60% in the primary for her own seat.
I'm continuing to like new DNC Chair Ken Martin and his agenda running the DNC.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/new-dnc-chair-kicks-multistate-tour-takes-party-rcna192231
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Ken Martin, the newly installed chair of the Democratic National Committee, is kicking off his first major trip as party leader in an effort for the organization to “get out of D.C.”
Martin’s trip, which begins Monday, will bring him to key swing states including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the blue state of Illinois and two red states, Texas and Missouri, according to details of the trip shared with NBC News. The stops on the trip will include a meeting with the United Steelworkers in Pittsburgh, meetings with the state Democratic Party chairs in Illinois and Missouri, and door-knocking for Democratic state House candidate Dan Goughnour ahead of his March special election outside of Pittsburgh.
“It’s time for the DNC to get out of D.C. — that means getting out of our comfort zone, having tough but honest conversations with voters, and showing that we’re willing to fight for people. Democrats will win by organizing everywhere, competing across the ballot in every community, and uniting working families from all backgrounds,” Martin told NBC News in a statement.
He went on to criticize President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, arguing they have a plan to “give trillions of dollars to billionaires by cutting things like health care for kids, seniors and rural communities — and we can’t let that happen.”
Now that elon and his thieves have gotten hold of millions of classified docs does anyone here feel it is a good idea to freeze your credit with the credit agencies? Hearing rumbles. Thanks.