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Democrat? Republican? California Knows How To Party

Courtesy of office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.

California has taken on the Trump administration on big issues from fuel emissions standards to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals striking down the initial iteration of the travel ban.

Senator Ted Cruz is trying to win a tight race in Texas by suggesting that his opponent, Beto O’Rourke, wants to turn that state into California.

And former President Barack Obama made a campaign stop in California last week, stumping for House candidates.

From The New York Times:

For the start of his support tour, Mr. Obama chose a part of the nation, Orange County, rich in political symbolism. The county was historically a conservative stronghold — the birthplace of Richard M. Nixon — that has been turning steadily Democratic over the past decade. Hillary Clinton defeated Mr. Trump here in 2016.

And five of the seven seats Democrats are going after are in Orange and San Diego Counties.

Orange County is home to the Republican that Democrats view as most vulnerable this November: Dana Rohrabacher, because of his strong support of Mr. Trump and ties to Russia. He is being challenged by Harley Rouda, a Republican turned Democrat, who was in the audience as Mr. Obama spoke.)

What is it about The Golden State that makes it so compelling for progressive leaders — and a preferred target of conservatives?

We’ll get some context on the state’s political legacy through a closer look at California political dynasty: The Browns.

Current California Governor Jerry Brown is the son of another famous California politician, Pat Brown. The LA Times says that a Brown has been the governor of California for 40 percent of the last 60 years.

Jerry Brown says he’ll step down at the end of this term. Once that happens, what’s next for state politics? Will the Browns’ influence still be felt in California as a new generation of leadership vies for a chance to shape a powerful state? We’ll talk to an expert on the Brown family, Miriam Pawel. Her new book is called “The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation.”

Produced by Jonquilyn Hill. Text by Gabrielle Healy.

GUESTS

Scott Shafer, Senior California politics and government desk editor, KQED; @scottshafer

Miriam Pawel, Author, The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation; @miriampawel

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

© 2018 WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio.

Copyright 2018 WAMU 88.5

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