Reuters: Politics: California primary sees fiercest contests in a decade

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California primary sees fiercest contests in a decade Jun 6th 2012, 04:17 By Mary Slosson SACRAMENTO | Wed Jun 6, 2012 12:17am EDT SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - Californians voted on Tuesday in a primary that appeared set to shake up the state's congressional electoral line-up in which few seats were truly competitive across party lines, following election rule changes and the redrawing of U.S. congressional district boundaries. While new maps and new rules may have changed the way the game of California politics is played, the number of voters turning out to cast ballots was low all day in some areas, according to poll workers at a sampling of key polling stations. At several polling places in two fiercely competitive congressional contests that have pitted longtime Democratic incumbents against one other in Los Angeles County, just a trickle of voters cast ballots on a sunny Southern California day. Under California's new open primary rules, the two candidates with the most votes will proceed to the general election in November regardless of party, so two Democrats or two Republicans could be competing for the same seat come November 6. In addition, redistricting has tossed some longtime incumbents into the ring against each other after a decade of remarkable stability in the state's majority Democratic delegation in the House of Representatives. Representatives Howard Berman and Brad Sherman are duking it out in a closely watched race in California's 30th district. Due to the "top two" rule, both are likely to advance to a final competition in November, analysts said. The new rules of the game in California politics favor Democrats in a state that gave President Barack Obama a 24-point margin of victory over his Republican rival John McCain in 2008, analysts said. Berman and Sherman are both veteran politicians, and have similar voting records, making choosing between the two hard for their mixed bag of new and old constituents. Two incumbent Democratic congresswomen, Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson, also faced off against each other in the 44th district in Los Angeles County in another closely watched race. GAME CHANGE For years, political stability in the nation's most populous state was a result of the deliberate creation of electoral districts to favor incumbents, a process known as gerrymandering. In 263 elections from 2002 to 2010, only one congressional seat changed political party. This time, a non-partisan citizens commission was charged with redrawing congressional districts. The number of districts did not change, but the boundaries were adjusted to reflect population shifts since the last national census in 2000. "With nonpartisan redistricting and this new 'top two' primary system, California suddenly becomes very interesting and one of the more competitive states in the entire country," said Kyle Kondik, political analyst at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Redistricting has also created a "huge leap" in the number of districts that have percentages of minority voters topping 50 percent, according to Paul Mitchell, a Democratic consultant in California. Majority-Hispanic districts increasing from 19 to 29, and the only majority- Asian legislative district in the continental United States was formed. In their quest to win back a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats would have to gain four or five seats in California, which Kondik said would be difficult but not impossible. Republicans control the House with a 242-190 majority, with three seats vacant. Outside California and Illinois, Democrats are mainly playing defense, trying to hold seats they already have. NATIONWIDE BATTLE Primaries were also held on Tuesday in New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa. In Montana, the U.S. Senate battle is one of the hottest in the nation. Montana's only member of the House, Republican Denny Rehberg, is challenging first-term Democratic Senator Jon Tester. Both candidates are known across the state and are expected to easily win their respective party primaries on Tuesday. Republicans are targeting the New Mexico U.S. Senate seat of retiring Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman in their quest for a U.S. Senate majority in 2012. Democrats hold a 51-47 majority, with two independents who usually vote with Democrats. Republican Heather Wilson and Democrat Martin Heinrich are projected to win their respective party races and run against each other for the coveted Bingaman seat, according to Brian Sanderoff, president of Research and Polling Inc in Albuquerque. In New Jersey, polls are closed in the vote to fill the seat of U.S. Representative Donald Payne, the state's first black congressman, who died in March. His son is among the candidates. (Additional reporting by Dan Boyce in Montana, Zelie Pollon in New Mexico and R.T. Watson and Alex Dobuzinskis in California; Editing by Cynthia Johnston, Jackie Frank and Lisa Shumaker) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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