June 26, 2025 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Will CA Produce Possible President?

By Tom Elias

 

From the time this year’s California political campaigns began taking shape last fall, they’ve had the potential to produce the state’s most viable presidential candidate in almost half a century.

It may be about time. For California has not provided the nation with a President – nor even a credible primary election candidate – since Ronald Reagan left office in 1989.

In that time, the strongest run by a Californian for America’s top political job came from ex-Gov. Pete Wilson, who lasted through only a few primaries and caucuses, His abortive 1996 run was hampered both by a throat problem that dimmed his voice and his strong 1994 backing of the anti-illegal immigrant Proposition 187, which destroyed any chance he might have had for getting some Latino support. Gov. Jerry Brown also staged a long run, in 1992, but never had a serious chance against Bill Clinton.

Since then, this state’s top officials, the likes of Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brown and Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have been no threat to national politicians in either major party. Yes, Schwarzenegger might have been a credible candidate and would have loved to run, but his Austrian birth rendered him ineligible.

So California has not only lacked influence at the top levels of American politics for decades because of its usually-belated primary elections, but also has had no skin in the game.

Just now, there’s a little talk about the state’s current junior senator, Democrat Kamala Harris. Her shrill anti-Donald Trump tone in several nationally televised Senate hearings has won some support among ultra-liberals nationally, but no poll has shown she has either strong or widespread appeal. Plus, the one time she faced a significantly financed election opponent, in her 2010 election as state attorney general, she barely eked out a victory even in this solidly Democratic state.

So it’s a safe bet Harris won’t be California’s next major presidential player. But there are some possibilities among this year’s crop of candidates, not to mention Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who makes noises about a possible 2020 national run even though he’s not running for anything just now.

The most likely future presidential contenders among the current hopefuls for governor and the Senate are Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and current state Senate President Kevin de Leon, all Democrats. It goes almost without saying that Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor who tried to run for governor in 2010 before settling for his current job, will seek the presidency at some point if elected governor.

His election emails for much of the last year have been replete with responses to national issues, from the Republican tax bill passed in December to environmental complaints raised by Trump administration actions. So Newsom could bring a national perspective to Sacramento. And he’s never been shy about acting on his ambitions and ideas.

If both of them should win this year – neither is an early favorite – either Villariagosa or Senate candidate de Leon could seek to become the first legitimate Latino presidential contender.

Villaraigosa has not seriously discussed a presidential run, but would have an immediate large-scale base among the Latinos who are one of the largest constituencies in the national Democratic Party. De Leon, who helped hire a former U.S. attorney general to aid the state Legislature in resisting Trump initiatives, plainly has a national perspective and makes it obvious he would love to lead the Democratic opposition to Trump.

But de Leon, from eastern Los Angeles, is hampered in his current campaign both by the fact that he remains largely unknown to many Californians and by his denial that he knew of the sexual harassment allegedly conducted regularly by his Sacramento housemate, state Sen. Tony Mendoza, in their abode. To many, his denials of knowledge and seeking to lead the drive for more effective prevention of such conduct in the Legislature suggest he may have taken a see no evil, hear no evil approach to Mendoza.

Just now, none of these folks draws much national attention. But, as Reagan did, anyone elected either governor or senator here can use California’s sheer size and its huge representation among national political convention delegates to fuel a credible run for the White House.

American and California State flags.
Related Posts

Michelin Stars Shine Bright on LA: Somni West Hollywood and Providence Earn Top Honors

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Two Restaurants in Los Angeles Receive Three Stars as Michelin Guide Celebrates Bold Flavors The MICHELIN Guide California 2025 celebrated...

Cherished Culver City Ice Cream Vendor Abducted in Broad Daylight

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano’s Disappearance Led To Grassroots Action Ambrocio Lozano, also known in the neighborhood as Enrique, was abducted around...

Culver City Leaders Address Youth Safety Crisis After Teen’s Death, Gunfire at Vigil

June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Leaders Respond Following Tragedy and Shooting at School Vigil Culver City officials convened a press conference Wednesday morning to confront...

Brentwood Home by Landry Design Group Wins Top National Architecture Award

June 25, 2025

June 25, 2025

Landry Design Group Wins Gold Nugget Awards for Brentwood, Crestwood Projects Landry Design Group (LDG) earned two top honors at...

(Video) WISE & Healthy Aging Helps Loved Ones Boost Their Quality of Life

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

See How the Nonprofit’s Innovative Programs Advance the Dignity of Life for Older Adults See How the Nonprofit’s Innovative Programs...

Masked Federal Agents Detain Iranian Asylum Seeker and Wife in Westwood

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

31-Year-Old Woman was Hospitalized After Possible Medical Emergency On Tuesday, June 24, between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., near the...

Culver City Pride Rolls In with Sunset Ride and Rally June 28

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Celebrate With a 6-Mile Pride Ride and Free Block Party Culver City will mark its fifth annual Pride celebration on...

Los Angeles Leaders Push to Ban Masks for Federal Agents Amid Immigration Raids

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Concerns Grow Over Anonymous ICE and CBP Officers in Los Angeles   A growing coalition of California lawmakers and local leaders...

Squatter-Plagued Beverly Grove Buildings Could Be Razed After Hazard Cleanup

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Demolition of Three Abandoned Apartments May Begin in Two Weeks Three abandoned apartment buildings in Beverly Grove may soon be...

From Westwood to DTLA, Angelenos March Against Military Escalation in Iran

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Protestors Rally at the Westwood Federal Building This Weekend Following President Donald Trump’s authorization of airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear-related...

Overnight Traffic Stops in Culver City Lead to Felony Arrests, DUI Bust

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Culver City Police Nab Suspects Wanted for Burglary and Identity Theft Culver City police officers arrested three individuals in separate...

LAPD Sergeant Killed Assisting Crash Victims on 405 Freeway in Brentwood

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Tragic Early-Morning Collision Claims Two Lives, Including Veteran Sergeant Two people, including an LAPD sergeant, were killed early Monday in...

Recent Homebuyer Down Payments Slip for First Time in Nearly Two Years

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

April’s Median Down Payment Fell as Buyers Lean Toward Lower-Cost Homes The median down payment made by U.S. homebuyers dropped...

Del Rey Affordable Housing Project to Rise on Former Charter School Site

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Community Corp., Local Faith Group Team Up to Build 122 New Apartments Plans are moving forward for a new residential...

Paris Hilton Buys Mark Wahlberg’s Beverly Park Mansion for $63.1M

June 22, 2025

June 22, 2025

The Heiress and Media Mogul Joins a Star-Studded Neighborhood Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum have purchased a high-profile estate...