Lots Of Folks Watched This Live, But For Those With FOMO…
This morning, Jon went solo for this week’s So, Does It Matter? Live! — and covered a packed hour of California politics, election math, and intraparty drama.
No guest this time. Just Jon, the comments section, and a lot of political chaos to sort through.
The conversation started with a basic reality about California elections: Election Day is no longer really Election Day. Ballots are out for weeks before voters finish voting, and results can take weeks after that to fully settle.
That matters a lot heading into the June primary.
Below is a timeline with topics, in case you just want to check out a particular topic or two.
What Did We Talk About?
Jon started with the California governor’s race and the increasingly urgent question facing Republican voters: Is the “mental primary” over?
With new PPIC numbers out, Jon walked through the Steve Hilton vs. Chad Bianco dynamic, the danger of splitting the Republican vote, and why the real fight may be whether any Republican makes the November runoff at all.
From there, Jon turned to turnout — and why the early numbers may tell us something important about Democratic enthusiasm, Republican opportunity, and the down-ticket races that could be affected if the pattern holds.
Then came Los Angeles.
The latest LA mayoral polling suggests that Karen Bass may be in serious trouble, that Nithya Raman is very much alive, and that Spencer Pratt is no longer just a novelty candidate. Jon broke down why the race is becoming so unpredictable — and why a viral campaign still has to solve the very old-fashioned problem of turning attention into votes.
Jon also dug into one of the stranger Republican fights of the week: the State Senate District 4 race, where Democrat-turned-Republican Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil is facing a challenge from Alexandra Duarte — and where one mailer has triggered a round of outrage that Jon thinks is wildly overblown.
The show also covered the controversy over Republican voter guides and the use of the official party logo, including Jon’s take that Carl DeMaio should not have used it, but that the party's response may have gone much further than necessary.
And finally, Jon closed with a serious Second Amendment warning out of Sacramento, where Democrats are once again looking for new ways to burden law-abiding Californians who want to purchase firearms for self-defense.
Want To Watch A Particular Part?
00:00 — Introduction, Election Night Plans, And California’s Voting Month
02:50 — The Governor’s Race And The Steve Hilton / Chad Bianco Question
06:31 — The New PPIC Poll And What The Numbers Show
10:33 — Democratic Turnout, Republican Turnout, And Ballots Still Sitting Out
16:23 — The New LA Mayor’s Race Poll
18:09 — Karen Bass, Rick Caruso, And Spencer Pratt’s Opening
22:37 — How The LA Mayor’s Race Could Become A Trump Referendum
29:18 — State Senate District 4 And The Marie Alvarado-Gil Problem
33:44 — The Duarte Mailer And Claims Of Political Violence
42:04 — The Republican Party Logo / Voter Guide Controversy
50:30 — The Latest California Second Amendment Fight
Listen Here…
You can also listen to this formerly live session — part of our So, Does It Matter? podcast feed — on your favorite podcasting app, or go here.
You can watch it/share it on YouTube.
