elections

Trump Is America’s Problem, Not California’s

Yes, the Golden State Is Hosting a Crucial Presidential Primary. But We Wouldn't Stop the Billionaire Candidate—Even if We Could.

Sorry, America, but we Californians are not going to stop Donald Trump for you.

To believe otherwise is to misunderstand California.

I can see how you got your hopes up. Trump might be less popular here than Bill Cosby. Polls show at least three out of every four of us don’t like him. California Republican strategists have launched a campaign to deny him a victory in June’s presidential primary, and thus prevent him from getting the delegates he needs to secure the Republican nomination. And many California voices want to …

By Joe Mathews |

Read More

Running for President Takes a Stiff—and Clean-Shaven—Upper Lip

As Thomas Dewey Learned in His Race Against Harry Truman, You Can Lose by a Whisker

By Christopher Oldstone-Moore |

In 1948, Emilie Spencer Deer, a solidly Republican woman from Ohio, announced to her family that she would vote for President Truman instead of the Republican candidate Thomas Dewey because …

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Should Thank Theodore Roosevelt

Outsider Candidates Didn’t Have Much of a Chance Until the Rough Rider Championed Primary Elections

By Jia-Rui Cook |

If you’re wondering why Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have a shot at representing their political parties in November’s national presidential election, you can thank Theodore Roosevelt.

One of Roosevelt’s most …

Money Isn’t Corrupting American Politics

But Loose Campaign Finance Laws Are Even More Dangerous and Subtle Than We Think, Says Legal Scholar Richard L. Hasen

By Paul Bisceglio |

Money alone can’t win an election—but that doesn’t mean it’s not a huge problem in American politics.

That was the main message of Zócalo’s first event of 2016, a talk by …

We’re Better at Picking Oscar Nominees Than Presidential Contenders

Everyone Hates the Way American Primaries Work. Can France or Hollywood Help Fix Them?

In 1912, former President Teddy Roosevelt came out of retirement to seek the Republican nomination for a third term. But rather than supporting the standard way of selecting a candidate …

Do We Really Need Campaign Finance Reform?

Some Political Analysts See Corruption in Unrestricted Spending. Others See an Equal Playing Field.

By the time America’s next president is named this November, campaign spending for all the candidates who ran in the election is projected to total about $4.4 billion—on television ads …


By continuing to use our website, you agree to our privacy and cookie policy.

✕

Get More Zócalo

No paywall. No ads. No partisan hacks. Ideas journalism with a head and a heart.

You may opt out or contact us anytime.

×