Political Breakdown

Latest Episodes:

Hot Takes on Biden’s State of the Union Speech Mar 09, 2024

Show notes

President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech was an energetic and blunt performance, including many direct attacks on his political rival, former President Donald Trump. Scott breaks down the speech with KQED political correspondents Marisa Lagos and Guy Marzorati. Plus, updates on Super Tuesday election results for congressional races and Governor Gavin Newsom's Proposition 1.

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Who Voted, Who Didn’t And What Difference It Made Mar 08, 2024

Show notes

The votes are still being counted, but Tuesday's primary is shaping up to be a low-turnout election. Who voted and who stayed home? Marisa and Scott talk about turnout and the voter enthusiasm deficit with Paul Mitchell, vice president at Political Data Inc. Plus, Mitchell explains why Adam Schiff boosting Steve Garvey boosted Republicans up and down the ballot.

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Progressive Women Fall Short in the U.S. Senate Race Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

Democrat Adam Schiff will face off against former baseball star Republican Steve Garvey in November, ensuring that California will soon be without a female U.S. senator for the first time in 32 years. Plus, Democrats seem to have avoided disaster in a Central Valley House district that they want to flip from red to blue. Scott and Marisa break down results from Tuesday’s primary election with San Francisco Chronicle political writer Joe Garofoli.

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Results, Analysis and Takeaways From Tuesday's Election Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

Both President Biden and former President Trump overwhelmingly win their party’s primary in California and most other Super Tuesday states. Republican former baseball star Steve Garvey will face off against Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff for California’s coveted U.S. Senate seat this November. Marisa Lagos, Scott Shafer and LAist's Austin Cross are joined by a slew of guests to analyze the Super Tuesday results so far.

From our California Newsroom live special coverage of California’s primary election, which aired at 9pm PST.

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How L.A.’s District Attorney Went From Criminal Justice Reform Warrior to Endangered Incumbent Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

Concerns over crime and public safety are the backdrop for a lively and very competitive race to be L.A. County’s top prosecutor. When he first ran for office four years ago, incumbent George Gascón promised to make big changes, like not seeking the death penalty, not charging juveniles as adults and getting rid of cash bail. Now he's facing an uphill battle, with 11 candidates challenging him — including three of his own deputies.

Scott and Marisa are joined by LAist correspondent Frank Stoltze to talk about the dynamics of the race, the stakes for criminal justice reform and Gascón's chances for political survival.

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What’s In A Name? Why SF Election Officials Rejected Some Chinese Names for the Bilingual Ballot Mar 02, 2024

Show notes

For years, candidates for office in San Francisco have been allowed to include Chinese names to appear on bilingual ballots. But after complaints that some of those Chinese names are a little over the top, with Chinese characters symbolizing qualities like “virtue” or “power," local elections officials are cracking down. Scott talks with reporter Han Li, who has been covering this for the San Francisco Standard.

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Newsom Sees Prop. 1 As A Chance to Finally Meet the Needs of Mentally Ill Californians Mar 01, 2024

Show notes

Days before the Super Tuesday primary, Governor Gavin Newsom joins Marisa Lagos and Scott Shafer to talk about his ballot measure to build mental health treatment facilities and how he thinks the state should be handling retail theft.

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Adam Schiff Explains How Prosecuting a Russian Spy Prepared Him for Trump Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

Los Angeles Congressman Adam Schiff built his reputation in Washington as former President Trump’s chief nemesis. Now he’s hoping to parlay that role into a U.S. Senate seat. Scott and Marisa talk to Schiff about his support for Israel, his evolution from a tough-on-crime Democrat to now embracing reform and what he wants to do if elected.

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Why Democrats Fear Their Chance to Flip a House Seat Could Slip Away Feb 28, 2024

Show notes

Two of the most competitive House races in the U.S. are here in California’s Central Valley, where two incumbent Republicans are locked in tight reelection races. Scott and Marisa are joined by KVPR's Joshua Yeager to analyze why the two districts are such a challenge for Democrats.

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When Do Congressional Races Become Toss-Ups? Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

The Cook Political Report is the gold standard in covering campaigns. Its founder Charles Cook started it in 1984 to provide unbiased, nonpartisan analysis of every House and Senate race in the nation.

One of the tools Cook developed is a shorthand for analyzing those races — a rating system that ranges from solid Republican to solid Democrat to “toss-ups," which are races that could go either way.

On today's Political Breakdown, Scott chats with Cook about how analyzing political campaigns has changed, and his decision to step back and have Amy Walter be the lead face of the Cook Political Report.

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