Who wants to be a Senator?

Inside the Golden State political arena

Oct 18, 2023 View in browser   By Lara Korte, Dustin Gardiner and Christopher Cadelago Christina Pascucci | Courtesy of Christina Pascucci THE BUZZ: California has dozens of problems, but a shortage of Senate candidates ain’t one. Yet another Democrat today is announcing her entrance into what is quickly becoming a crowded field, and, as seems to be the trend of late, she’s betting her background outside of politics and bipartisan pragmatism can help her rise to the top of the heap. Christina Pascucci, a 38-year-old journalist, has spent more than a decade reporting for Los Angeles TV stations, but now, after leaving her job at FOX 11 on Tuesday, she’s entering California’s race for Senate, hoping that her years of global storytelling and activism will be enough to land her in Dianne Feinstein’s old seat. Our colleague Christopher Cadelago got the scoop, and heard all about Pascucci’s pitch for a moderate consensus-building candidacy. “I spent my life and my upbringing learning to speak the language of people who disagree with me,” she told Chris. “A lot of times people don’t even try and they just say ‘they’re extreme.’ That is the worst thing you can do. That is the intent of disinformation: to polarize us. The only way to combat that is by going in, sitting down and talking it out.” Pascucci has far less political experience (and likelihood of surviving the March primary) than the frontrunners, Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff (Schiff and Porter have consistently led in polls). And Sen. Laphonza Butler, if she decides to run for a full term, could emerge as a formidable force. Pascucci wouldn’t be the first novice to take a stab at a desirable political office. She’s not even the first candidate in this race who's taking their first plunge into politics, regardless of whether Butler decides to run. First there was Lexi Reese, the Democratic Bay Area tech executive who pitched herself as a “different kind of leader.” Then there was baseball legend Steve Garvey, a Republican who launched his campaign last week after what he said was more than two decades of both Democrats and Republicans suggesting he run for office. In each case, candidates play on a familiar theme — arguing that they are the panacea to a Washington clogged with career politicians and bureaucrats. But it takes more than messaging to win a race, especially in California, where reaching the state’s 20 million voters requires a hefty war chest. A week of TV advertisements in Los Angeles can easily run a candidate $2 million. This may be the area where Pascucci and Garvey have their greatest advantage, having both spent years on TV in the state’s most expensive media market. GOOD MORNING. Happy Wednesday.  PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — Who else do you expect to jump into the Senate race? Give us a ring or drop us a line. Now you can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on Twitter —@DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte  WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     FRESH INK Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) | J. Scott Applewhite/AP OLD FRIENDS — Rep. Doug LaMalfa — the sole California Republican to vote against Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker on Tuesday — said he cast a symbolic vote for the recently ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the first ballot. LaMalfa, who voted 15 times for McCarthy in January, said he wanted to show the Bakersfield Republican his loyalty and give McCarthy his “16th vote,” calling his removal a travesty. Their friendship dates over 20 years to their days in the state Assembly. LaMalfa told POLITICO he always planned to support McCarthy on the first go-around, and then cast a vote for Jordan on the second ballot. He was spotted chatting with Jordan on the House Floor after the first vote. LaMalfa said Jordan was “cool with it.” The longtime California member might have less reason to sweat over a vote for Jordan given that he represents a safe red district, unlike some of his colleagues. Swing district Republicans Mike Garcia, David Valadao, John Duarte, Young Kim, Michelle Steel and Ken Calvert all voted for Jordan. They all likely face tight races in 2024, trying to hold districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020. A vote for Jordan, a conservative hardliner and close ally to Donald Trump, could mean an even steeper climb to keep their seats. Democrats were quick to target battleground GOP members over their vote for Jordan, highlighting his role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Dan Gottlieb, a spokesperson for the DCCC, said those swing district California members had “once again given in to the most extreme fringes of [their] party and embraced an agenda of promoting conspiracy theories.” — Sejal Govindarao WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY BIG BUCKS: Sen. Laphonza Butler made at least $1 million from Airbnb stock and hundreds of thousands more in compensation during the three years she consulted for the tech giant. As our colleague Melanie Mason reports, the windfall could make Butler more vulnerable to attacks from progressives should she run for a full Senate term and seek to capitalize on her credentials as a former labor leader. (POLITICO) BRACE YOURSELF: As if social media weren’t cantankerous enough, Twitter is reportedly “aggressively pitching political advertisers” after CEO Elon Musk reversed a ban earlier this year. The company is hoping to reverse the revenue decline it has experienced since Musk took over. (The Wall Street Journal) BACK TO COURT?: Prosecutors are once again considering charging Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the New Mexico set for the movie ‘Rust.’ Prosecutors said Tuesday they will ask a grand jury to consider whether the actor should be criminally charged. (Los Angeles Times) Playbookers WEDDING WATCH — Julia Schechter, a PR manager at Apple and an alum of SKDK and POLITICO, recently married Sam Isaac, head of finance at Tome. The both went to Tufts, and met through mutual friends in New York playing on a rec soccer team called the Lambs. Pic BIRTHDAYS — FOX11 anchor Elex Michaelson … Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) … Walt Disney Co.’s Caitlin Conant … (was Tuesday): state Sen. Josh Newman   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of new episodes – click here.     CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this subscriber-only service offers, click here. Want to make an impact? POLITICO California has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Golden State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.   Follow us on Twitter Dustin Gardiner @dustingardiner Lara Korte @lara_korte POLITICO California @politicoca   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.