Latest news with #Republican-turned-Democrat
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Karen Bass thrust back into hot seat amid LA unrest
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) is grappling with the second high-profile crisis of her tenure as immigration protests roil her city, months after devastating wildfires tore through the region. Bass, who's running for reelection in 2026, faced backlash over her wildfire response, including an ill-timed trip abroad as the crisis started, and her favorability ratings have taken a hit. Now, the first-term mayor is navigating demonstrations that have drawn national attention and intervention from President Trump, who went around Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) this weekend to send hundreds of National Guard troops into Los Angeles. She's the only big name running for her mayoral seat at this early point in the midterm cycle, and experts say her handling of the current crisis could help cement her glide path to reelection — or open the door for challengers. 'I feel like Karen Bass and her team learned at the beginning of the year that every moment from now until her reelection is crucial to get right,' said California Democratic strategist Kate Maeder. 'Bass has been battle-tested with the recent wildfire devastation. And with this, she gets another chance to show that she can lead the city through a crisis.' Bass, a progressive who defeated wealthy Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso in the 2022 mayoral race, faced some of the fiercest criticism levied at Democratic officials during the California wildfires in January. As leader of the city at the center of the disaster, she was blasted for being on a U.S. delegation trip to Ghana as fires broke out and hammered over a viral clip in which she remained silent in the face of a reporter's questions. The fires would go on to wreak massive damage throughout Los Angeles, and they've appeared to impact Bass in the polls as communities recover. From 2024 to 2025, her net favorability flipped from a net-positive score to a net rating of negative 12, according to the annual University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin School Quality of Life Index survey in Los Angeles County released in April. A University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) survey in March found 44 percent of Los Angeles voters thought Bass did a poor or very poor job responding to the wildfires, compared to 36 percent who thought she did fair or better. And an IGS poll in May found 32 percent of voters within the city of Los Angeles viewed Bass favorably, compared to 50 percent who viewed her unfavorably and another 18 percent with no opinion. Shortly before her 2022 mayoral win, 50 percent viewed her favorably. Now, the tensions between law enforcement, protesters and the federal government in Los Angeles pose a new problem for Bass, though some also see it as a chance at redemption. 'During the fires, Karen Bass was nowhere, and during this crisis, she's everywhere,' said California Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio. 'She has to prove that she can handle a crisis, which she was faulted on being unable to do during the fires. And so this is a real test for her,' Maviglio said, adding that the mayor has been 'right on message' so far. Last weekend, as demonstrators in the city expressed outrage over the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, Trump activated 2,000 National Guard members to quell the protesters. The move marked a rare instance of a president calling in the forces without agreement from the state, and Democrats cast it as an abuse of power. Meanwhile, Trump has accused Bass and Newsom of being unable to do their jobs. The national attention on the situation makes for an added challenge, in that Bass has to counter Trump's rhetoric about what's happening in her city. 'She's got to come up with a narrative that shows that the resistance led by her contributed to the end of the crisis on good terms for Los Angeles,' said Fernando Guerra, founding director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. 'I don't know what that looks like, and that's the degree of difficulty for her.' California leaders have so far walked a balance of pushing back against Trump, supporting the right to protest and condemning violence. Bass on Tuesday stressed that the situation was under control before the White House stepped in. 'On Saturday, the President posted a message about what a great job the National Guard did in L.A. They didn't even get here until Sunday. This entire effort is solely to cause chaos and the people of Los Angeles — and our troops — don't deserve it,' she said on X. 'It is really a high wire test for her,' said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University. 'Past crises have been prickly for the mayor.' Before becoming mayor of the country's second-largest city, Bass served in the California state Assembly — where she was the first African American woman to be Speaker of any state legislature — and then represented California's 33rd Congressional District in the U.S. House. She faced a recall effort after the wildfires earlier this year, but even former rival Caruso came out against it, saying Los Angeles needed unity after the disaster. As of right now, Bass is the only big-name candidate in the 2026 race. If that doesn't change, she's all but assured another mayoral term in the blue stronghold, experts said, despite her dip in favorability polling. But California's primary registration deadline isn't until next spring, and prospective candidates could be taking a wait-and-see approach as she handles political hot water. 'She has a real opportunity with this crisis … to thwart any challengers, if she's able to show strength to solve the problem and to coalesce her support,' Maeder said. Caruso, who lost to Bass by roughly 10 points in 2022, is reportedly weighing another bid for the seat, though he's also cropped up in chatter for the open governor's mansion because Newsom is term-limited. 'If you see a further deterioration of her support, that will lead to not only Caruso, but potential other either self-funded candidates or a state legislator or a member of Congress seriously thinking about running,' Guerra said, with the caveat that 'that's a big if.' Even after protests dissipate, though, recovery is 'going to take a lot of leadership as well,' Maviglio said. 'If she proves she can handle this crisis, that's going to give anybody who was [thinking of] running because of the fires second thoughts.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Karen Bass thrust back into hot seat amid LA unrest
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) is grappling with the second high-profile crisis of her tenure as immigration protests roil her city, months after devastating wildfires tore through the region. Bass, who's running for reelection in 2026, faced backlash over her wildfire response, including an ill-timed trip abroad as the crisis started, and her favorability ratings have taken a hit. Now, the first-term mayor is navigating demonstrations that have drawn national attention and intervention from President Trump, who went around Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) this weekend to send hundreds of National Guard troops into Los Angeles. She's the only big name running for her mayoral seat at this early point in the midterm cycle, and experts say her handling of the current crisis could help cement her glide path to reelection — or open the door for challengers. 'I feel like Karen Bass and her team learned at the beginning of the year that every moment from now until her reelection is crucial to get right,' said California Democratic strategist Kate Maeder. 'Bass has been battle-tested with the recent wildfire devastation. And with this, she gets another chance to show that she can lead the city through a crisis.' Bass, a progressive who defeated wealthy Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso in the 2022 mayoral race, faced some of the fiercest criticism levied at Democratic officials during the California wildfires in January. As leader of the city at the center of the disaster, she was blasted for being on a U.S. delegation trip to Ghana as fires broke out and hammered over a viral clip in which she remained silent in the face of a reporter's questions. The fires would go on to wreak massive damage throughout Los Angeles, and they've appeared to impact Bass in the polls as communities recover. From 2024 to 2025, her net favorability flipped from a net-positive score to a net rating of negative 12, according to the annual University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin School Quality of Life Index survey in Los Angeles County released in April. A University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) survey in March found 44 percent of Los Angeles voters thought Bass did a poor or very poor job responding to the wildfires, compared to 36 percent who thought she did fair or better. And an IGS poll in May found 32 percent of voters within the city of Los Angeles viewed Bass favorably, compared to 50 percent who viewed her unfavorably and another 18 percent with no opinion. Shortly before her 2022 mayoral win, 50 percent viewed her favorably. Now, the tensions between law enforcement, protesters and the federal government in Los Angeles pose a new problem for Bass, though some also see it as a chance at redemption. 'During the fires, Karen Bass was nowhere, and during this crisis, she's everywhere,' said California Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio. 'She has to prove that she can handle a crisis, which she was faulted on being unable to do during the fires. And so this is a real test for her,' Maviglio said, adding that the mayor has been 'right on message' so far. Last weekend, as demonstrators in the city expressed outrage over the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, Trump activated 2,000 National Guard members to quell the protesters. The move marked a rare instance of a president calling in the forces without agreement from the state, and Democrats cast it as an abuse of power. Meanwhile, Trump has accused Bass and Newsom of being unable to do their jobs. The national attention on the situation makes for an added challenge, in that Bass has to counter Trump's rhetoric about what's happening in her city. 'She's got to come up with a narrative that shows that the resistance led by her contributed to the end of the crisis on good terms for Los Angeles,' said Fernando Guerra, founding director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. 'I don't know what that looks like, and that's the degree of difficulty for her.' California leaders have so far walked a balance of pushing back against Trump, supporting the right to protest and condemning violence. Bass on Tuesday stressed that the situation was under control before the White House stepped in. 'On Saturday, the President posted a message about what a great job the National Guard did in L.A. They didn't even get here until Sunday. This entire effort is solely to cause chaos and the people of Los Angeles — and our troops — don't deserve it,' she said on X. 'It is really a high wire test for her,' said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University. 'Past crises have been prickly for the mayor.' Before becoming mayor of the country's second-largest city, Bass served in the California state Assembly — where she was the first African American woman to be Speaker of any state legislature — and then represented California's 33rd Congressional District in the U.S. House. She faced a recall effort after the wildfires earlier this year, but even former rival Caruso came out against it, saying Los Angeles needed unity after the disaster. As of right now, Bass is the only big-name candidate in the 2026 race. If that doesn't change, she's all but assured another mayoral term in the blue stronghold, experts said, despite her dip in favorability polling. But California's primary registration deadline isn't until next spring, and prospective candidates could be taking a wait-and-see approach as she handles political hot water. 'She has a real opportunity with this crisis … to thwart any challengers, if she's able to show strength to solve the problem and to coalesce her support,' Maeder said. Caruso, who lost to Bass by roughly 10 points in 2022, is reportedly weighing another bid for the seat, though he's also cropped up in chatter for the open governor's mansion because Newsom is term-limited. 'If you see a further deterioration of her support, that will lead to not only Caruso, but potential other either self-funded candidates or a state legislator or a member of Congress seriously thinking about running,' Guerra said, with the caveat that 'that's a big if.' Even after protests dissipate, though, recovery is 'going to take a lot of leadership as well,' Maviglio said. 'If she proves she can handle this crisis, that's going to give anybody who was [thinking of] running because of the fires second thoughts.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-GOP Congressman David Jolly Announces Run For Florida Governor, As A Democrat
The first major candidate to announce a run for the Democratic nomination for Florida governor is a former Republican member of Congress who could possibly roll through the primary without a serious challenge. David Jolly, who served three years in the House representing a Tampa Bay district and is likely best known now as an MSNBC contributor, on Thursday announced his bid to become the first Democrat in Tallahassee's governor's mansion since Buddy MacKay held the job for three weeks finishing out the term of Lawton Chiles, who died in late 1998. 'Something is happening in Florida,' Jolly told HuffPost, describing the town-hall style meetings he has held around the state, including in solidly Republican areas, over the past several months. 'We've got a shot in this governor's race.' MacKay, who had been Chiles' lieutenant governor, lost to Republican Jeb Bush in November 1998, and a Republican has held Florida's governorship ever since. The closest Democrats have come to winning over that stretch was 2018, when Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum came within 32,000 votes of defeating then-congressman Ron DeSantis. DeSantis won reelection, however, by 19 points over Charlie Crist, another Republican-turned-Democrat. Jolly said he and Crist came to the Democratic Party quite differently. While Crist has said that the Republican Party left him by moving away from his values, Jolly said he over the years changed his views on issues ranging from gun control to abortion. He left the Republican Party in 2018, after its takeover by President Donald Trump, but was an independent for seven years before formally registering as a Democrat in late April. 'I test the theory in politics: Is it OK to change your mind?' he said. 'I think I reflect where a lot of voters are.' Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party and the last Democrat to serve on the elected Cabinet as agriculture commissioner, said that it was conceivable that no well-known Democrat will enter the race between now and the qualifying deadline next year. Whether that happens or not, though, Jolly has his work cut out for him to persuade hardcore Democrats in Florida that he truly is one of them. 'He will need validators from the progressive community…. There is some skepticism in the Black community,' said Fried, who herself ran for governor in 2022 but lost the primary to Crist. She added, though, that Jolly has impressed her thus far with his willingness to go everywhere and to talk to everyone. 'He is showing up,' she said. Crist held two elected statewide positions before running for governor as a Republican in 2006. He decided to run for U.S. Senate in 2010, but was on course to losing that primary to Marco Rubio, leading him to leave the GOP and run as an independent. Rubio ended up winning the Senate seat and Crist two years later became a Democrat. He ran for governor again in 2014 against then-incumbent Rick Scott and came within 1 percentage point of winning. From there, he ran for Congress against Jolly in 2016, beating him and serving three terms before leaving to run for governor again in 2022 against DeSantis, getting crushed this time. Fried said Jolly probably has a better chance at winning than Crist did, particularly if the mood of the electorate is similar to what it was in 2018, when Trump had energized Democrats everywhere including Florida. 'People are willing to give him a shot,' she said of Jolly. Florida is a tough and expensive place to run for statewide office, with 11 different television markets across a thousand miles and two time zones. To win, Jolly or any Democrat would need tens of millions of dollars or more to compete, at a time when many donors may be skeptical of a state that DeSantis won in a landslide in 2022 and Trump won easily in 2024. Florida's term limits disallow another four years for DeSantis, although his wife, Casey, is considering a run while GOP House member and outspoken Trump ally Byron Donalds announced his candidacy in February. Jolly, though, said that Democrats nationally understand the importance of Florida in the elections to come given that the 2030 Census will likely give Florida and Texas four more House districts between them and thus a near-lock on the Electoral College unless Democrats can put at least one of them in play. 'If we win the governor's race in '26, the road to the White House runs through Florida in 2028,' he said. Republicans, even anti-Trump ones who would love to see Jolly win, say that is a sizeable 'if.' 'I think his only path even to the Democratic nomination is a large and steady influx of soft money and outside support,' said one Republican consultant who spoke on condition of anonymity. 'He will need to catch lightning in a bottle to get the small-donor national network engaged to help him, and they won't be as likely to give to a very recent Democrat.' Mac Stipanovich, a decadeslong Republican who left the party after Trump's rise, agreed that Jolly faces a steep hill. 'The fundamentals, and, therefore, the odds, are against him. He will need to run a well-funded, nearly error-free campaign and be lucky to boot, catching some breaks beyond his control,' he said.
