Latest news with #Election2026
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kern County's 2026 primary candidates: One-on-one interview with AD-35 hopeful Andrae Gonzales
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The 2026 Election is already underway, as candidates throw their names in the ring for local, state and federal offices. Wednesday morning, Bakersfield Ward 2 City Councilmember Andrae Gonzales announced his run for California's 35th Assembly District. 17 Political Reporter Jenny Huh sat down with Gonzales for a candidate profile. It's a political domino effect or ladder, if you will. Gonzales announced Thursday morning he's running to replace Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains in the 35th Assembly District, who, one day prior, announced she's running for Congress. 'My goal is to know the district as well as I know Ward 2, and to be as involved, as engaged as I can,' said Gonzales. The 43-year-old has represented Bakersfield's Ward 2 since 2016, prior to that serving as a board trustee on the Bakersfield City School District. An east Bakersfield native and current Eastchester resident, the Democrat is eyeing the step up to Sacramento, saying the state must do more for cities. 'We know and I know that Sacramento can do so much more to help us address some of the most chronic pressing issues that are facing our neighborhoods for too long,' Gonzales said. 'Kern County has got the short end of the stick. We have our older brothers, the Bay Area and in the L.A. Southern California area, our big brothers who seem to have a seat at the table and kind of nudge us out.' 17's Jenny Huh: 'How do you, amid all the other state legislators and senators that are working to do the same thing for their community, how do you prioritize Kern?' Andrae Gonzales: 'I grew up in a family with five siblings, and I know a thing or two about nudging my way in. I was a middle child.' On his priorities at the state level, Gonzales said, 'Number one is to grow and diversify our local economy. We know that we're facing so many challenges when it comes to with respect to our region and in good paying jobs.' Gonzales has long focused on issues like homelessness, housing affordability and support for small local businesses, all of which he says his 'Downtown Ward' feels especially hard. 'The issues compound themselves, everything from chronic poverty to disinvestment in some of our oldest neighborhoods to homelessness, to a decline in the downtown area and a lack of investment over a period of 30, 40 years,' the assemblymember hopeful explained. AD-35 is a seat Gonzales has eyed before, in the 2024 cycle, though he ultimately bowed out. 'This opportunity with Dr. Bains running for Congress has opened the seat up. And it's an open seat, I want to give it a shot,' Gonzales answered, when asked about his first go at the seat. The work has already started. 17 News joined Gonzales Wednesday evening in Delano, as he met with community leaders. Delano is the second largest city in kern but is also where the incumbent Bains' roots lie. Gonzales said when it comes to his ability to transition to state leadership, he hopes the proof is in the pudding. He highlighted various accomplishments at the city level, especially in helping hundreds of small businesses, including through the B3K Initiative, the Bakersfield College Launch Pad Initiative, and the Prosperity Neighborhood Initiative. Gonzales also highlighted his role in the launching of the Bakersfield community land trust, which offers affordable housing opportunities to those low to moderate income. He credited his late father, who served as a counselor at Bakersfield College — for his public servant mindset, which Gonzales said began at the young age of six. 'I am very serious about getting to work and just focusing on the issues and being very pragmatic and practical in getting things done for people,' Gonzales said. Click here for the full interview with Andrae Gonzales. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A Georgia Republican governor candidate questions legality of rival's $10M campaign loan
Election 2026 Georgia Governor ATLANTA (AP) — A Republican candidate for Georgia governor asked a state ethics body Thursday to determine whether his GOP rival illegally lent $10 million to a campaign committee to evade restrictions under state campaign finance law. Attorney General Chris Carr's campaign lawyer asked the Georgia Ethics Commission for a legal opinion saying Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was prohibited from making the loan to his leadership committee, a special fundraising vehicle that allows the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds. A spokesperson for Jones called the complaint a 'weak attempt to get attention' in a statement. Carr and some other candidates for state office cannot have the so-called leadership committees for campaign fundraising under a 2021 state law that created the committees unless they win their party's nomination for governor or lieutenant governor. Instead, they are limited to candidate committees, which can raise a maximum of $8,400 from each donor. Opponents say that's an unfair advantage for incumbents. Jones and Carr are competing for the Republican nomination to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who legally can't run again after two terms. The GOP primary is next May, followed by the general election in November 2026. Jones filed documents showing he made loans of $7.5 million and $2.5 million to the WBJ Leadership Committee when he announced his long-anticipated run for governor on July 8. The cash infusion was part of Jones' strategy to set himself up as the front-runner in the race. Carr announced his run for governor last year, saying he needed a long runway to raise money because he isn't personally wealthy. Carr's campaign has been voicing concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and his family wealth from a string of gas stations to win the primary. Bryan Tyson, a lawyer for Carr's campaign, on Thursday requested an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission on whether the loans are legal. Tyson argued that under Georgia law, loans can be made only to a candidate committee, not to a freestanding political action committee, or even a leadership committee, which is allowed to coordinate with a candidate committee. Carr's campaign cited a 2022 federal judge's ruling that a leadership committee for Gov. Brian Kemp could not spend money to get Kemp reelected during the Republican primary that year. U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen found that the 'unequal campaign finance scheme' violated challenger David Perdue's First Amendment right to free speech. Jones spokesperson Kendyl Parker said in a statement she was 'not surprised by this weak attempt to get attention — it's exactly what you'd expect from a campaign that's losing steam with many months to go until Election Day.' Tyson suggested that if Jones could make a loan to the leadership committee and then raise unlimited sums to repay himself, he could give the repaid money to his candidate committee to spend in the primary. That would evade Cohen's ban on the use of leadership committee money in the primary. Tyson warned that such laundering would 'wash away contribution limits entirely.' The Ethics Commission must issue an advisory opinion within 60 days under state law. In a related complaint to the commission on Thursday, Tyson alleged that Jones broke state law because his previous financial disclosures didn't show that he had $10 million in cash or securities to be able to afford such large loans. Tyson pointed to a 2022 financial disclosure that showed Jones had a net worth of $12.4 million, but only $700,000 in cash and securities. The rest was tied up in the value of real estate and Jones' insurance agency, the disclosure stated. Tyson noted that Jones' 2024 disclosure showed he hadn't sold real estate or his business, arguing 'it appears he could not have sufficient liquid assets to loan his leadership committee $10 million.' Ethics complaints can take years to resolve, but Tyson said it was 'imperative' that the commission move quickly to determine the source of the loan, whether it was properly reported and whether Jones planned to spend from his leadership committee in the primary.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Kern County's 2026 primary candidates: One-on-one interview with CD-22 hopeful Jasmeet Bains
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The 2026 Election is already underway, as candidates throw their names in the ring for local, state and federal offices. Wednesday morning, Assemblywoman Dr. Jasmeet Bains announced her run for California's 22nd Congressional District. 17 Political Reporter Jenny Huh sat down with Bains for a candidate profile. CD-22 is one of the most contentious house races nationwide, each election cycle, without fail. The big question for 2026 — will Bains be the Democratic candidate? 'This is about being a doctor who's taking her oath to the highest level to protect her community,' said Bains of her decision to throw her hat in the ring. The assemblywoman — just re-elected to her second term in California's 35th Assembly District — is now eyeing the title of congresswoman. 17's Jenny Huh: 'Did you feel like 2026 was really your year to run, just given that health care, your expertise is front and center?' Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains: 'I never signed up for this to be a career politician. I'm a doctor. Things lined up in a way that this community needs their doctor. When I first got elected and I brought in about $10 million for the fentanyl task force, one of the things we did with it was open up a detox option for people on Medicaid,' Bains recalled. Speculation of Bains' congressional run began with Congress considering President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. On the chopping block — billions in funding to health care programs like Medicaid. And in the hot seat — David Valadao, who ultimately voted with his party in passing the bill. 'The beginning of this year, a lot of people were asking me, are you going to run? Are you going to run? And I waited. I waited to see if he would do the right thing and put the I mean, we all have seen David Valadao do that before,' Bains said. Like, she noted, when he was one of 10 House Republicans that voted to impeach Trump. 'When you vote to impeach Trump? That brought nothing back to the district. That didn't put food on the table. That was politics.' Jara standoff: Police feared county supervisor's husband wanted officers to shoot him Bains went as far as to say when Valadao faced off against 2018 Democratic challenger TJ Cox and lost, she had actually voted for the congressman. Cox, after just a term, was charged with fraud. The 40-year-old Bains is a family doctor at the Delano branch of Adventist Health. During the week, Bains is in session in Sacramento. During the weekend, she's back in the district at her clinic. 'I'm a doctor, and this community saw a doctor that put the people over politics over and over and over again,' Bains said. 'I have bucked my own party.' Most notably, Bains in her first term was the lone Democrat to vote against Gov. Gavin Newsom's bill to prevent price-gouging by oil companies and was temporarily stripped of a committee assignment. Recently, in the two special legislative sessions addressing the state's gas prices, she was the only Democrat to oppose both measures, though the bills eventually passed. 'Kern County has been bullied by both sides. It's been bullied by the Republicans and bullied by the Democrats. We need someone that's going to stand up for the Valley,' Bains said. 'Running for Congress, especially in a race like this. It's not easy. You know how ugly it's going to get. I'm going to get beat up from both sides.' CD-22 has a history of being one of the most expensive, contested congressional races nationwide, with the House majority running right through it. It's described as a moderate district — majority Latino, leans Democrat, yet a Republican has been reelected time and time again. 17's Jenny Huh: 'Do you feel like voter turnout is really the problem or has it, quite frankly, just been weak candidates, weak messaging about your party? Asm. Dr. Jasmeet Bains: 'That's a really good question. And it's both. Yes, we have some of the worst voter turnout in the state here, right here. But at the same time, what is it that gets voters to turn out?' Again, it's health care, Bains underscored. She also pointed out that her people have, historically, shown up when it matters. She cited the labor rights movement founded in Delano and the national impact it carried. It all depends on a 'community believing in someone,' she said. 'Instead of doing more to strengthen health care, we cut it by a trillion dollars?' Bains said. 'I stutter saying that because through my eyes as a doctor, I and every doctor in this community, every health care worker, every nurse, every person that's on the frontlines of health care in this community sees what's about to happen.' She also noted a direct impact of the bill when it comes to her work at the state capitol. 'My biggest dream for this community was my UC, the Kern medical school,' Bains said. 'Well within the Big Beautiful Bill is a tax on endowment funds that Congressman David Valadao voted for.' Bains said as the bill made its way through Congress, it was actually her patients that asked her to do something, amid looming health care cuts. Her work about being a party loyalist because the issue of health care will only get worse, the congresswoman hopeful said. The daughter of immigrants from India, Bains was born in Cleveland but grew up in Delano. She's fluent in English, Spanish, Punjabi. She was the first South Asian woman elected to the California Legislature and first Sikh American in California state office. Bains cannot run for CD-22 and reelection to her AD-35 simultaneously. So, she's taking the risk of being out of office, if she did not advance past the June primary or emerge victorious in November. If that's the case, Bains said, she can be found, 'Right back in that clinic in Delano providing care.' Also in the candidate pool is fellow Democrat Randy Villegas — viewed as the more progressive candidate. Click here for the full interview with Jasmeet Bains. Click here for the full interview with Randy Villegas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Will she or won't she? The California governor's race waits on Kamala Harris
The Democrats running for California governor have spent the spring and summer working to win over the powerful donors and interest groups who could help them squeak through a competitive primary election. But the candidates, and many deep-pocketed Democrats, are still waiting for the decision that will have the biggest impact on the race: whether former Vice President Kamala Harris is running. Since Harris lost to President Trump in November, the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom has been in suspended animation, with candidates trying to plan their campaigns without knowing who their biggest opponents will be. A few are making contingency plans to run for other offices. And some major donors are waiting to write big checks. "It creates a little bit of a limbo situation," said Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction who launched his gubernatorial campaign in 2023. The Democrats in the race are talking to many of the same potential donors, Thurmond said, and most have the same question: "Is she going to run?" The only answer, Thurmond said, is an unsatisfying one: "We don't know." Read more: Who is running for California governor in 2026? Meet the candidates Since leaving Washington in January, Harris has mostly stayed out of the public eye, settling back into her Brentwood home with her husband, Doug Emhoff, and talking to close friends and confidantes about what she should do next. She is weighing whether to leave politics, run for governor or run for president for a third time. She is expected to make a decision about the gubernatorial race by the end of summer. The Democrats who are already running for governor lack Harris' star power, and her entry could upend the race. But the former vice president would also face questions about her 107-day sprint to the White House, what she knew about President Biden's decline and whether someone who has run unsuccessfully for president twice really wants to be California's governor. "She is looking closely where is the best place to put her energy and focus and her time," said Debbie Mesloh, a longtime Harris ally. The few public appearances Harris has made this year — meeting with firefighters in Altadena, attending a high school graduation in Compton and headlining a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in the Bay Area — have been fodder for those trying to read the tea leaves. What does it mean that Harris skipped the state Democratic Party convention? That Emhoff has taken a teaching job at USC? Harris had originally planned to take a two-week vacation at the end of this month but has canceled her trip, according to someone familiar with her plans. Harris has also been in New York, where she attended Broadway plays and the exclusive Met Gala; in San Francisco, where she dined with her niece Meena at the high-end Japanese restaurant Shoji; and in Los Angeles, where she has shopped for groceries at a 99 Ranch Market in Westwood and the Brentwood Farmers Market. As the months have worn on, some gubernatorial campaigns have started to think that Harris' victory feels like less of a foregone conclusion than if she'd announced in January after leaving office. Read more: Democrats running for California governor take digs at Kamala Harris' delayed decision on the race Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Biden Cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter of Irvine have said that they will stay in the race no matter what. Veteran state Senate leader Toni Atkins of San Diego said she is also staying in if Harris runs, saying in a statement that "while the vice president has her own path, our campaign is moving full speed ahead." Former state Controller Betty Yee said in an interview this week that even if Harris runs, she is staying in, too. "No, no, no," Yee said, of the possibility of seeking another statewide office. Being governor, she said, "is what I feel like I've prepared to do. I will be staying in the race and really leaning into my fiscal and financial background." Yee said when she talks to donors, they want to know two things: how California can push back against the Trump administration, and what she will do if Harris enters the race. Dan Newman, a political strategist who's worked for Newsom, Harris and several of the gubernatorial candidates, said that the race is at an odd inflection point, with candidates who "don't know who their potential voters are, because they don't know who they're running against," and some donors who are waiting — at least for now — to write big checks. "They've got a good excuse to not give, because even if they are a big fan of a candidate who's in the race now, they don't know if the candidate will stay in the race," Newman said. "Then there are others who don't want to give to someone who might run against her." Eric Jaye, a political strategist who previously worked for Villaraigosa's 2018 gubernatorial campaign and advised Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco, said he's hearing "frustration" from donors who are ready to see the race pick up speed. "They're not going to wait much longer," Jaye said. "There are going to be donors who say, 'We have to go. We're not going to wait for you.'" But even if Harris entered, that wouldn't be a guarantee that donors would back her again, including those who are angry that she spent nearly $1.5 billion in campaign funds in her compressed campaign for the White House in 2024. "The money is very, very upset with her," said gubernatorial candidate Stephen Cloobeck, a businessman and Democratic donor who is running for California governor. "They're my friends. I'm part of that money. Everyone is thoroughly reeling." The amount of money that candidates raise is one way to gauge their support — and prospects. That picture remains a little fuzzy, though, since gubernatorial candidates have until July 31 to report their fundraising hauls from the first half of the year. The only candidate to release numbers so far is Becerra, who said he raised $2.4 million since entering the race in early April, including a $1.1-million transfer from his congressional campaign account. Becerra's campaign has $2 million on hand, including the largest contributions allowed by law — $39,200 — from the politically connected Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and Pechanga Band of Indians. Campaigns are required to report contributions of $5,000 or more shortly after they receive them. Those figures don't represent total fundraising, but can still show a campaign's trajectory. Three of the eight candidates have raised less than $100,000 this year in chunks of more than $5,000 at a time, state data show. Yee reported $71,900 and Thurmond, $32,500. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis reported raising $70,000, including $5,000 from Google. Her campaign said Kounalakis, who has been raising money since entering the race in April 2023, has $9 million on hand. "I want to be clear that I'm in this race to win," Kounalakis said. Villaraigosa, who entered the race last summer, has raised almost $1 million this year through large donations, data show. Atkins reported about $381,000 this year, and Cloobeck, about $132,000. Porter, who entered the race in March, reported almost $475,000 in larger contributions, according to state data. She also transferred $942,000 from her U.S. Senate account to her gubernatorial account, according to federal filings made public Tuesday. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CBS News
29-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
GOP candidates for Texas Comptroller Christi Craddick and Don Huffines discuss why they're best for the job
Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick and former State Senator Don Huffines, R-Dallas have their sights set on becoming Texas Comptroller. They're running in the 2026 GOP primary in March. While they have been in the race for months, former State Senator Kelly Hancock , R-North Richland Hills, is getting a jump start. On July 1, he will become the Acting Texas Comptroller after the outgoing Comptroller, Glenn Hegar, hired him as Chief Clerk. Hegar is set to become the Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System on July 1. Hancock also announced he's running for the job in the Republican primary next March and was backed by Governor Abbott. In an interview for Eye On Politics, Craddick told CBS News Texas that her experience running statewide and overseeing a state agency are important. "I'm a Railroad Commissioner. I've just won my third election, so I'm the only statewide candidate who's won a primary. In fact, last cycle, I had four people in my primary against me and I won without a runoff. So not only that, I've won statewide across the state. I think that's a real positive people know who I am. I've been around in this state for a bit and run a good agency. First and foremost, as you walk into any business in the agency you audit, and see what is going on at that agency. How long is it taking to audit? How long is itaking to get refunds back to people. So I think those are real specifics that we need to make sure we're doing for taxpayers in the state." Huffines, the former State Senator, said in an interview for Eye On Politics that he's taking his lead from the President. "I'm going to follow Donald Trump's leadership skills. We're going to bring a sense of urgency to Austin, Texas. I don't want to just DOGE the Comptroller's Office, I'm going to DOGE every agency I can in the State of Texas and what that means is auditing government. It means root out fraud, waste, and abuse and return the savings I find to the taxpayers, hopefully via property tax relief." Candidate endorsements Huffines, who challenged Governor Abbott in the GOP primary in March 2022, exchanged insults with him after Abbott endorsed Hancock. Huffines said in a post on X, "The political elite are manipulating the system to install another go along to get along lapdog as State Comptroller." When asked by CBS News Texas what he meant by that Huffines said, "I'm focused really on my campaign. I'm focused on traveling the state of Texas talking to voters. This was a manipulation of the process. There's no question about it by the establishment-Bush wing of the Republican party. I think the voters are going to see through that. That's why I'm going to win." Huffines is backed by Senator Ted Cruz. In his announcement backing Hancock, the Governor said, "I endorse Kelly Hancock because I want a candidate who will actually win the election, not someone who's already lost an election to a Democrat." Huffines lost his State Senate seat to Democrat Nathan Johnson. When asked if he had a response to the Governor's statement Huffines said, "I'm focused on my race. I really am. When I won the Senate race, I'd done something that had never been done before: I knocked a 20 year plus incumbent (John Carona) in the Republican primary. I'm just focused on talking to the voters." New task for Texas Comptroller During this next year, the Comptroller's Office has a new function: implement the $1 billion school choice program featuring Education Savings Accounts or ESA's. The office must do so my June 15, 2026, so that the program can be ready to begin for the 2026-27 school year. Eye on Politics reporter Jack Fink asked how important it is that the Comptroller's Office set-up the program on-time, on-budget, and make it easy for parents to navigate. Craddick said, "I think that's a priority. The legislature's school savings accounts, education savings accounts. I'm excited by it. If we don't do it right in the state, then we're going to have a real problem, and people will be mad and they should be. And it's real dollars. One billion dollars is a lot of money. This isn't an easy program to implement. You've got to understand procurement. You've got to go out and get those bids and get it implemented really quickly." Huffines said ESA's were a priority for him while he served in the Senate and remain so today. "I'm excited about that. The Comptroller is in charge of the waiting list, the marketing of the program, implementing it with the five management companies that are going to be managing up to 100,000 ESA accounts. It's incredibly important that we don't stumble and we get this correct."
