OPINION
October 27, 2011 | Doyle McManus
American voters have fired two modern presidents after just one term, Jimmy Carter in 1980 and George H.W. Bush in 1992. Both suffered because the economy was in poor shape, and both faced disaffection within their own parties. But there was another thing those candidates had in common: They both faced relatively strong third-party candidates in the November election. John B. Anderson in 1980 and H. Ross Perot in 1992 both ran as independent centrists, and while they weren't the only reason the incumbents lost (Ronald Reagan won a majority of the popular vote in 1980)
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
October 17, 2011 | By Jean Merl and Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times
Many Southern California lawmakers in hot primary contests have been raising money at a brisk pace ahead of the June congressional races, reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show. Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Valley Village) — who will face off against Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) in what many political experts believe could become the most expensive House race in history — brought in more than $800,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30, according to documents posted on the FEC website over the weekend.
WORLD
October 16, 2011 | By Kim Willsher, Los Angeles Times
France's Socialist Party selected a 57-year-old National Assembly deputy nicknamed "Monsieur Normal" to go head-to-head with beleaguered incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in next year's presidential election. Francois Hollande won a convincing victory in a primary runoff Sunday against Martine Aubry, a former Labor minister. In his victory speech, Hollande said he was well aware of the "heavy and serious job" ahead of him as he seeks to unify the French left in order to bring it its first presidency for nearly 17 years.
NATIONAL
September 6, 2011 | By Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times
Stan Craig, a Vietnam veteran and fundamentalist Baptist preacher here, winces at the idea of a female president. Yet he hesitated when he was asked recently to make a hypothetical choice between Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. "I probably would cast my vote for Michele," Craig said. His thinking: Romney is Mormon. Mormons, in Craig's view, are not Christian. "The devil wrote only one Bible," Craig said, "and Joseph Smith found it under a rock.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 20, 2011 | By Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times
California Republicans voted Sunday to enact a sweeping end-run around the spirit of the "top-two primary" system adopted by voters, deciding to conduct a mail-in nominating process with all registered GOP voters before the primary election. "This is going to energize the party because you are going to have candidates that have to organize earlier, they are going to have to talk to Republicans, they are going to be held accountable by Republican voters," said Mike Spence, the conservative party activist who wrote the proposal.
NEWS
September 14, 2010 | By Michael Muskal
Voters in seven states and the District of Columbia cast ballots Tuesday in the final round of primaries that will shape the midterm elections and, perhaps more interestingly, could help define the political parties for the next several years. For Democrats, Tuesday's vote is much like a bank shot on a pool table as they hope that the conservative tide of the "tea party" movement helps elect candidates who will have a hard time appealing to independents, thus aiding Democrats fighting to continue their control of Congress.