Roundup: Brown, Whitman, and Prop 8

Robin Marty

Jerry Brown now has a lead in the California Governor's race, but how solid is it, and how does Prop 8 play into the campaign?

The California governor’s race has been a heated back and forth between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman.  But any advantage that Whitman was seeing in the polls appears to be being erased with the help of a few key ballot initiatives such as medical marijuana, global warming initiatives, and a continuing enthusiasm over the legal downfall of former ballot initiative Prop 8.

Now it seems Brown is solidly ahead.  Via The Fresnoe Bee:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown has opened up an eight-point lead over Republican Meg Whitman, according to poll results released tonight by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The statewide survey of 1,067 likely voters showed Brown leading Whitman 44 percent to 36 percent, with 16 percent of respondents undecided.

Brown and Whitman were in a dead heat in PPIC’s September survey, with Whitman ahead 38 percent to 37 percent.

The most recent poll, conducted Oct.10 to Oct. 17, showed support for Brown rising among key voting blocs, including independents and Latinos. Whitman must make inroads with both groups to offset Democrats’ 13-point registration advantage in the state.

 

There is, however, still a chance for another big shift, as the two candidates had one final debate before election day.  One News Now thinks Whitman may have made that appearance a game changer.

Meg Whitman (R) and Attorney General Jerry Brown (D) exchanged harsh accusations as they battled it out Tuesday night in their final debate at Dominican College in San Rafael, where the gubernatorial candidates tackled topics ranging from immigration to pensions and the economic crisis. Steve Kinney of Public Opinions Strategies believes Whitman came out much stronger in this debate as she stayed focused on the main issue.

“She’s wanting to get on the message; the message that the people of California care about is the economy and jobs, and I’m sure her campaign team said, ‘Stay on message,'” Kinney suggests.

During the debate over Proposition 8, Brown pointed out that as attorney general he does not defend the law defining marriage between a man and a woman because it is so “fundamentally wrong.” Whitman, however, argued that as attorney general, his role is to defend the state Constitution, regardless of personal choice. Brown also apologized for the comment one of his staff members got caught making in a voicemail, in which his contender was described by a derogatory expletive. In response, Whitman voiced that the comment was not fitting for the office the Democratic candidate is running for.

Whitman and Brown may have had different ideas about how the attorney general should have been involved in Prop 8, but it’s clear that as governor, there will be a role to play.  From Huffington Post:

If you live in California, you can change the course of history of marriage equality coast-to-coast.

Every election matters, but this one is monumental. In California, we have a chance to elect a new attorney general and governor who will support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality 100 percent. Who we put into these critical offices will shape the outcome of the battle for equal rights, including the federal trial against Prop. 8.

The attorney general and governor have the power to determine whether our taxpayer dollars will be spent defending Prop. 8 in court or whether the State of California will continue to stand on the side of equality and justice.

Where do the candidates stand? Jerry Brown and Kamala Harris have promised not to stand on the side of bigotry and hatred. Both have vowed not to defend Prop. 8 in court and to advocate for full equality. Because of their strong support for marriage equality and for a myriad of other rights critical to securing full equality for LGBT people, they have been endorsed by Equality California. If elected, we can count on them to be our champions.

Mini Roundup: Guess who’s running for president? New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is getting “more conservative,” and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is headlining even more pro-life events.

October 21, 2010

October 20, 2010