California voters send a tough message to Democrats on crime and homelessness

California hopes to raise minimum wage 1:09 (CNN) — Voters in two of California’s most progressive cities on Tuesday sent a clear message to Democrats: They want their leaders to refocus on the most basic functions of government, guaranteeing their safety, protecting their quality of life and restoring order. For months now, voters in San Francisco and Los Angeles have been expressing concern that daily life in their cities seems out of control. San Franciscans have had to contend with an increase in carjackings and robberies, as well as an alarming surge in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans. Los Angeles residents have witnessed a sharp rise in violent crime, while city leaders have grappled with a homeless crisis that has led to a proliferation of tents and trash in parks, sidewalks and public spaces, while an untreated mental health emergency has been revealed on its streets. On Tuesday, San Francisco voters put their concerns on record by removing District Attorney Chesa Boudin, saying he was promoting progressive policies as a national advocate for criminal justice reform at the expense of his safety. It was a move that signaled how far the political pendulum has swung since the 2020 election cycle, when many Democratic voters cited police accountability and criminal justice review among their top concerns, a debate that reached a peak after the slaying of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis. On the same night, voters in the overwhelmingly progressive city of Los Angeles voiced their discontent with Democratic handling of crime and homelessness, bringing in billionaire shopping mall mogul Rick Caruso, a former Republican who became Democrat earlier this year, to a runoff to replace Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose term is limited. Doctor who confronted the shooter in Laguna Woods is considered a hero by the authorities 0:53 Congresswoman Karen Bass, who has been in office for six terms, was considered the favorite in the mayoral race, but Caruso unexpectedly managed to beat her by spending US $ $40 million to push the argument that city leaders have failed to keep people safe and have proven inept at finding solutions to house some 41,000 people living on the streets. Bass, a Democrat who led House negotiations on legislation to increase police accountability in the wake of Floyd’s death, has vowed to make public safety a priority. She vowed to restore the Los Angeles Police Department to its authorized strength of 9,700 officers, in part by hiring more civilians to free up 250 officers to return to patrolling the streets. But she hasn’t gone as far as Caruso, who has promised to hire 1,500 more officers and about 500 street cleaners, proposals her critics say the city can’t afford. For months now, the crosswinds facing Democrats nationally in their struggle to find an effective message on crime and inflation have been on full display in California elections, where Democrats currently hold all statewide offices. and they dominate the congressional delegation. The new map drawn up by the nonpartisan redistricting commission last year led to ten competitive House races in California, in which Democrats were optimistic about winning. But those ambitions have been tempered by the fact that voters are faced with the highest gas prices in the country, are worried about the rise in violent crime and frustrated that they see no improvement in the situation. of homeless people, despite the fact that billions of dollars are spent on building homes and shelters. All of these problems have come to the fore in the state’s contested elections, emboldening Republicans, who are promoting the idea that Democratic policies are leading to chaos. Low turnout in Tuesday’s elections in California and New Jersey is another sign that Democrats are failing to turn out voters in states that will be key to their hopes of keeping control of Congress. The California sky turns orange due to the fires in Laguna Niguel 0:53 Despite the competitive elections for the House of Representatives –in which the two most voted, regardless of the party, will advance to the general elections–, only the 19 % of California ballots had been returned as of Tuesday, even though they were mailed to nearly 22 million voters weeks ago, according to ballot-tracking data from California firm Political Data Intelligence. Voters also cast their ballots Tuesday in Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota in primaries that offered a window into voters’ intention to blame the ruling party for their dissatisfaction about the state of the economy and the country. Several Republicans holding office in California have had to face off against contestants in elections as the various factions of the GOP continue to battle for dominance. Rep. David Valadao, one of 10 GOP members who supported Trump’s impeachment in 2021, had to compete for control of his seat in the Democratic-leaning Central Valley district (the new 22nd District). Former Fresno Councilman Chris Mathys said he decided to run against him because of Valadao’s impeachment vote, but Trump has not gotten involved in the race. Republican Rep. Young Kim faced stiff competition in Orange County’s newly drawn 40th District from Navy veteran Greg Raths, another Trump loyalist. On the other hand, Democrats hope to use Republican Rep. Mike Garcia’s ties to Trump against him in California’s 27th District, after redistricting made his northern Los Angeles County seat more Democratic. (Garcia voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential elections in Arizona and Pennsylvania.) Former state Assemblywoman Christy Smith, a Democrat, will go into a runoff in the district with Garcia, according to CNN projections. Iowa Democrats pulled off an upset Tuesday night by rejecting a former party star, former Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer, in her bid to take on veteran Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in November. Latino farmers in California fear unemployment due to the drought 3:19 After Finkenauer’s recent error, which was about to not be able to stand for election when a judge considered that he did not meet the signature requirements, as well as his defeat two years ago before Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, Democrats in Iowa took a different path. They chose retired Navy Admiral Mike Franken to take on Grassley, the longest-serving Republican in the US Senate, who will win the primary for his party seeking an eighth term, according to CNN. Finkenauer served one term in Congress after winning a district in 2018 that had supported President Donald Trump two years earlier. At the time, she was the second youngest woman ever elected to Congress, at 29 years old. In the rest of Iowa, one of the most competitive races is in the third district, where Rep. Cindy Axne, the only Democrat in the congressional delegation. CNN has predicted that state Sen. Zach Nunn, an Air Force veteran, will win the Republican primary in the Des Moines-area district. The other two competitive House races in Iowa are set. Republican Rep. Marianne Miller-Meeks will face Democratic State Rep. Christina Bohannan in the new District 1. In District 2, Hinson will face Democratic State Sen. Liz Mathis, who is also a former television news anchor. local. There were also several high-profile congressional elections in New Jersey. In the state’s District 7, a battleground that has become more Republican in redistricting, CNN projected victories for Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski and Republican Tom Kean Jr. In District 8, in northern New Jersey, Democrat Rob Menendez Jr, the son of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, will win the Democratic primary, CNN projects, as he runs to fill the seat of retired Democratic Rep. Albio Sires. Republican Rep. Chris Smith, who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, fended off a series of challengers in the District 4 primary in central New Jersey, including Mike Crispi, a talk show host endorsed by by Trump allies like Roger Stone and Rudy Giuliani. Drought affects California’s agricultural sector: layoffs and crop sacrifices 4:07 In Montana, Trump backed his former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke – despite his controversial history – in his bid to return to Congress. The state won a second congressional seat following the 2020 census results. Zinke faced four other candidates in the GOP primary, including former state senator Al Olszewski and pastor Mary Todd, as questions swirl about Zinke’s residence. In South Dakota, Rep. Dusty Johnson will win the GOP primary for the state’s only seat in Congress, CNN forecasts. He faced a primary challenge after voting to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. CNN also predicted that South Dakota GOP Governor Kristi Noem, a likely 2024 challenger, will defeat her primary challenger. , state Rep. Steven Haugaard, who had accused her of being insufficiently conservative and spending too much time as governor catering to her ambitions for higher office.