Here's the statement from my friend, Jason Olson, the Director of IndependentVoice.Org, regarding the California results.
According to exit polling, California voters identifying themselves as independents were 29% of the electorate (up slightly from 28% in 2008), and for the first time outnumbered Republicans who represented 27% (down from 30% in 2008). Democrats made up 44% of voters (42% in 2008). These numbers reflect the latest state voter registration trends, with independents up over 3.8 million voters, and Republicans dropping to less than 30% of registered voters for the first time ever.
As a result of the new political landscape, nine incumbents were defeated on Election Day. Pete Stark (D), Dan Lungren (R), Michael Allen (D), Howard Berman (D), and Mary Bono Mack (R) are just some of the big name incumbents who will be looking for a new job in January. Interestingly enough, the five Democratic incumbents who were defeated lost to another Democrat in a same party race.
Congratulations to Democratic Assembly Candidate Marc Levine, who IndependentVoice.Org endorsed as part of a post-partisan candidate slate. Levine defeated Michael Allen, a heavily partisan Democrat backed by the Sacramento party establishment. While Allen was busy filling mailboxes with partisan attack pieces branding Levine "not a true Democrat", Levine was pushing a message of taking on special interests and reaching out to all voters.
That was the message IndependentVoice.Org volunteers communicated in hundreds of person-to-person phone calls to independent voters in the district. In the end, Levine's non-partisan reformer message was able to overcome over $1 million in negative partisan advertising against him as he edged out a 1% win. The campaign will no doubt be studied and become the blueprint for how to win in California's new non-partisan political environment.
I also want to congratulate the three other candidates IndependentVoice.Org endorsed: Abel Maldonado (R), Bill Bloomfield (NPP), and Chad Walsh (NPP). Each of them is a champion of reform who reached out to independent voters and supports the reforms necessary to move California and America forward. Despite their losses, Walsh and Bloomfield performed the best of all the independent candidates in the state garnering 38% and 47% of the vote, respectively. What's clear is that much more has to be done to organize independents as a force before independent candidates can win against the well developed major party machinery. We look forward to continuing to work with each of them to move the state beyond partisanship.
I want to thank all of our volunteers and activists around California. Many of you participated in our process to have independent voters directly impact California elections as a third force pushing a reform agenda. Thanks to your support of our work, we established that independents could function as a force for change outside the constraints of a political party. This is a process we hope to expand across California ahead of the 2014 Gubernatorial Elections (which will look a lot like the 2003 Recall Election).
Looking ahead to 2014, if independents are to continue to play an expanding role as a third force, we've got a lot of work to do. After all, there are now over 3.8 million independents in the state. While huge in number, our organized force is still tiny in comparison. It will be our job over the coming period to amass the partners and resources necessary to organize that voting block and unleash their true power.
One other noteworthy happening for California is the now irrelevancy of the State Republican Party. For the first time in over 80 years, the Democratic Party now controls the two thirds in the State Legislature required to approve a budget or raise taxes without Republican support. (Ironically, Democrats can trace their new super majority in the State Legislature to the Top Two Open Primary and Redistricting Reform - political reforms the party leadership vehemently opposed).
California State Republicans have largely rejected the path of reformer outreach to independents blazed by Maldonado and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Instead they have pursued a policy of hyper-partisanship that has made their party toxic in the eyes of voters. This is perhaps most evident in Maldonado's loss because frankly, if an ideological moderate Latino, proven reformer who campaigned on taking on partisanship can't win as a Republican in a moderate district like the 24th Congressional, then nobody can. That should scare Republicans.
Finally, I offer a new warning to partisans everywhere across California. The voters - particularly independents - now have the tools to take on those forces that put their party ahead of their state or their country. We successfully tested that in 2012. In 2014, we're coming for you.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!
Michael H. Drucker
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