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Democrats Set to Complete Sweep of Orange County Seats

November 15, 2018 at 10:35 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The latest vote tabulations show that Gil Cisneros (D) leapfrogged Young Kim (R) to take a 941-vote lead in the battle for California’s 39th district, erasing a 3,900-vote advantage that Kim held election night, the Orange County Register reports.

“Democrats now lead in every Orange County congressional race and stand positioned to sweep Republicans from power in all four Orange County GOP-held seats the party targeted this election… The historic shift has shocked the county’s Republican leadership, which as recently as 2017 insisted none of the area’s GOP House seats were in danger of flipping.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: CA-39

Democrats Risk Disaster In Several California Districts

May 2, 2018 at 12:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

David Wasserman: “Democrats’ path to a majority depends on California more than any other state: they have excellent chances in seven GOP seats that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, and a few more could be long shots in a wave. But in at least four districts, Democratic over-enthusiasm has produced crowded fields that could lock Democrats out of the fall race altogether.”

“Under California’s unorthodox ‘top two’ primary system — first implemented in 2012 — all candidates appear on the same June primary ballot and the top two finishers, regardless of party, advance to a November runoff.”

“At the moment, Democrats face the greatest danger of a shutout in the 48th CD, where Rep. Dana Rohrabacher faces a credible challenge from former Orange County GOP chair Scott Baugh and three credible Democrats will be dividing their party’s vote. But it’s also possible Democrats could fail to make the fall ballot in the 39th and 49th CDs, where Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa are retiring, as well as tarnished Rep. Duncan Hunter’s 50th CD.”

Filed Under: 2018 Campaign Tagged With: CA-39, CA-48, CA-49, CA-50

Top-Two Primary Could Help GOP Keep Royce’s Seat

January 10, 2018 at 10:17 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Rep. Ed Royce’s (R-CA) decision not to run for re-election seems a gift to Democrats hoping to pick up his seat. Though Royce has served 13 terms, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in his district by nine points.

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Filed Under: 2018 Campaign, Members Tagged With: CA-39

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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