Top Ten Winners & Losers In California Politics This Week

Each week we pick ten people or groups that had a particularly good or bad week, and label them winners or losers! This is for the week ending 8/22/25!

Title Fight — Aguilar-Curry vs. Macedo - Created on ChatGPT.

Below is our Top Ten List of Winners and Losers for the Week. This feature available to all of our subscribers, free and paid. However, at the bottom of the column, past the firewall are three additional winners/losers, just for paid subscribers as a thank you!

⏱️ 4 minute read

This is our second week of this new feature. Based on the “hits” on this column, it is a popular feature! This is where we look over national, state and local politics, and highlight people (or groups) that have had some solid wins, or who have just had a really rough week. If you want to make your own suggestions — just send in an email (you can just hit reply to any of these e-mails) and suggest away! I promise to keep confidential the people making suggestions! Here we go…

Top Ten Winners & Losers This Week in California Politics

⬆️ WINNER: ASSEMBLYWOMAN ALEXANDRA MACEDO

Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo is definitely a winner this week’s winner for her bold stand against unchecked power in the Assembly Elections Committee. Yesterday I talked all about it in a video and post yesterday — she took on a who group of low-IQ Democrats in the committee, who clearly had no idea what to do with an articulate, prepared member of the opposition party. While it didn’t change the outcome, Macedo’s moment in the spotlight makes her a winner, and one to watch!

⬇️ LOSER: ASSEMBLY MAJORITY LEADER CECILIA AGUIAR-CURRY

So this is the tool that was tasked with being the legislative author of the Constitutional Amendment that was jammed through the legislature this week. As I said yesterday it was clear that neither Aguiar-Curry nor any other Democrats in that Assembly Elections Committee hearing had the agency to have an intelligent discussion. As Assemblywoman Macedo was jousting with another Democrat on the committee, Aguiar-Curry can be heard on a video recording saying that she didn’t write the maps. The Majority Leader is a loser because she was the “ranking officer” in that room and could have set the tone for a respectful discussion, especially given that she knew her team had the votes to prevail anyways. Turns out she’s is not a very nice person.

⬆️ WINNER: CONNIE CONWAY

Former Congresswoman Connie Conway has been appointed by California Republican Party Chair Corrin Rankin as the new Republican National Committeewoman for California (she has to go through what should be a pretty uncontroversial confirmation vote at the upcoming State GOP convention to make it official). Conway replaces Harmeet Dhillon, who resigned the seat earlier this year after being tapped by President Trump to serve as an Assistant Attorney General at the DOJ. Conway served for a short period of time in Congress, filling out the unexpired term of former Congressman (now head of Truth Social) Devin Nunes. She had no full-term to run for as after redistricting Nunes seat kind of evaporated, with Congressman Tom McClintock gaining most of its Republican voters. Conway previous served in the Assembly, including as the GOP Leader. She represents a very traditional GOP pick for this position.

⬆️ WINNER: PAUL MITCHELL, DEMOCRAT REDISTRICTING EXPERT

While a bunch of sorry California Democratic Legislators got all tongue-twisted this week not wanting to say that Paul wrote these new very partisan House lines that are set to go before voters on November 4, he did. I have known Paul for a very long time, nice guy, smart guy - although bicycle obsessed. Anyways, this snap decision by Gavin Newsom to even go down this road thrust Paul into the spotlight, allowing him to showcase his map-drawing prowess. All you have to do is hear the GOP angst to know he did a great job for the Democrats.

⬇️ LOSER: CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT

It’s one thing to say that because the State Supreme Court is made up of mostly appointees of Governors Newsom and Brown (six of seven) that there’s no state-court path for a legal challenge to the Newsom mid-decade redistricting scheme. But it’s another thing to see it. The court wasted no time to slapping down the emergency writ from legislative Republicans, without even granting a courtesy hearing. When you cannot take the time to hear out the petitioners in something this important, it makes you losers.

⬇️ LOSERS: GOP HOUSE MEMBERS WHO MAY HAVE NO SEATS IF LINES ARE REDRAWN

Well, the final lines are in. And so on November 4 (absent a federal court play to change things otherwise), there are a group Republican Members of Congress from California who will be out of a district to run for re-election in, that they could win. These losers (meant politely) are Rep. Doug LaMalfa, Rep. David Valadeo, Rep. Kevin Kiley, Rep. Ken Calvert and Rep. Darrell Issa. (Caveats: Issa could run hard and maybe pull it off, and frankly it’s anyone’s guess if Calvert or Issa try to hop into a primary with Rep. Young Kim for a bright red seat she lives in, but which has territory from their current districts). (Not losers: Rep. Tom McClintock, Rep. Vince Fong, Rep. Jay Obernolte - well and maybe Rep. Kim)

⬆️ WINNER: ASSEMBLYMAN DAVID TANGIPA

Above I made the case for why Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo was a winner this week. But fellow freshman David Tangipa also proved that with adversity comes opportunity. Tangipa was also very aggressive as a Republican on the elections committee, and also has been very active on social media during all of this. His moxie makes him a winner for this week.

⬇️ LOSERS: CALIFORNIA AND NATIONAL DEMOCRATS

National Democrats are this week’s losers as a New York Times deep dive exposes their nationwide voter registration crisis. I wrote all about it here. Republicans are outpacing Democrats in new registrations across battleground, blue, and red states, with a staggering 4.5 million voter swing since 2020. The party’s inability to energize and mobilize voters highlights a profound brand problem, leaving Democrats in a precarious position as they struggle to regain ground before critical elections.

⬇️ LOSER: OAKLAND MAYOR BARBARA LEE

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is this week’s loser for neglecting her city’s spiraling crises—crime, homelessness, and budget deficits—while grandstanding at a national redistricting rally. Her focus on virtue-signaling at a high-profile event, rather than addressing Oakland’s urgent local challenges, has eroded public trust. Lee’s misplaced priorities highlight a disconnect from constituents, undermining her leadership as the city crumbles under her watch.

⬆️ WINNER: FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN KATIE PORTER

Former Congresswoman Katie Porter is a winner this week as she is leading in the California governor’s horse race with 21% support in a POLITICO-Citrin Center poll. Benefiting from Kamala Harris’ decision not to run, she captured 30% of Harris’ would-be voters. Porter’s far left-progressive stances, robust fundraising, and visibility from her Senate campaign against Adam Schiff give her a strong edge in the crowded Democratic field, positioning her as a formidable contender for 2026.

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Now that you see what this column is all about, keep your eyes peeled. If you have someone to suggest to be considered for featuring in this column next week, drop me a note. I will keep confidential the names of those who make the suggestions!

For Paid Subscribers - Three More Winners! or are they Losers? Let’s talk about the Governor, the Senate President, and the Assembly Speaker…. Below the pay wall…

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