Stanford Poll for California Shows Huge Difference, Depending on Whether Respondents Are Asked About Some of Candidates, or All Candidates

This Stanford poll, released a few days ago, shows the huge difference in results, depending on whether pollsters list only a handful of candidates for a particular office, or whether they list all the candidates. Questions 53 and 54 ask about the U.S. Senate race. Question 53 listed only five candidates who will be on the ballot, but Question 54 listed all 32 candidates on the ballot.

When only five candidates were listed, Rocky De La Fuente, a Republican, easily placed second. That question showed Dianne Feinstein at 35%, Rocky De La Fuente at 21%, and Kevin De Leon at 9%.

But when all 32 candidates were listed, Feinstein had 36%, De Leon had 11%, and De La Fuente had 4%.

Question 14 asks about the top-two system. Support was 41%; opposition was 22%; undecided was at 37%.

Questions 50 and 51 are both about the gubernatorial race. Question 50 only lists a few candidates; question 51 lists all candidates.

Question 52 has some candidates for Lieutenant Governor, and appears to be the first publicly-available poll for that office. The poll was taken by the Bill Lane Center for the American West, part of Stanford University.

New California Registration Data

On June 1, the California Secretary of State released a new registration tally, as of May 21. This will be the last California tally until October. The only categories that increased their registration are independents, Libertarians, and the ranks of voters who have never made a choice about party or independent membership.

The new percentages are: Democratic 44.36%; independent 25.51%; Republican 25.07%; American Independent 2.65%; Libertarian.745%; Green .475%; Peace & Freedom .391%; unqualified parties .60%; unknown .20%.

The previous percentages, from April 2018, were: Democratic 44.58%; Republican 25.27%; independent 25.11%; American Independent 2.66%; Libertarian .740%; Green .480%; Peace & Freedom .392%; unqualified parties .61%; unknown .15%.

Alaska Legislator Switches Party Registration from Republican to Independent

On June 1, Alaska State Representative Paul Seaton announced that he has changed his registration from Republican to independent. He is running for re-election this year. He will seek the Democratic Party nomination this year. He was first elected in 2002, and represents part of the Kenai Peninsula.

He is the fifteenth state legislator in the nation who has changed from either Republican or Democratic, to either independent or other party, since the November 2016 election.

Alabama Republican Party Won’t Certify Any Votes Cast for Jim Bonner, Who is on Republican Primary Ballot of June 5

There are two candidates for Public Service Commissioner in the statewide Alabama Republican primary of June 5. On May 31, the Republican Party decided that any votes cast for one of them, Jim Bonner, will not be certified in the election results. See this story. The Republican Party took this action because it determined that Bonner has made offensive comments recently.

The state pays for party primaries in Alabama, but candidates in primaries file with their parties, not with election officials. The story does not say how Republican primary voters will be informed of the decision. Some absentee ballots have already been cast.