California Democrats take issue with Newsom on “common sense” crime measure.

Adam Gray, Derek Tran, Will Rollins, Rudy Salas and Joe Kerr are Democratic hopefuls vying to unseat Republican incumbents in swing districts. Democratic state Sen. Dave Min is battling Republican Scott Baugh to win an open seat in the state’s 47th Congressional District. A new analysis from Los Angeles Times reported that before Election dayall six support Proposition 36, the tough-on-crime measure that Newsom derided as “a real failure.”

Vulnerable Democratic support for Proposition 36 comes as POLL indicates that the measure scored high approval ratings from voters disenchanted with rampant drug use and crime in the state’s largest cities. The Public Policy Institute of California released data Wednesday showing that 73 percent of voters in the Golden State plan to vote for Proposition 36.

The proposal imposes felony charges for possession of certain drugs and theft under $950 for qualified offenders and eliminates felony charges against some drug offenders if they successfully complete treatment. Support for the measure is even stronger in Orange County and the Central Valley, where some of the six Democratic congressional candidates are campaigning.

“If you’re a Democrat who opposes Prop. 36, that’s going to hurt you in November,” said Jared Sichel, a strategist for Republican, conservative and independent candidates in Orange County. Los Angeles Times. “I would think a Republican opponent would love it if a Democratic candidate opposed Prop. 36, as it would be very easy for him to expose them as soft on crime.”

With candidates like Tran campaigning in Orange County and Gray focused on the Central Valley, Sichel suggested they contain a “healthy mix of Republicans and Democrats” who “don’t want to live in disarray.”

As one of the owners of a neighborhood pharmacy in Orange County, Tran noted that his small business has been divided “multiple times” as he said he supports “common sense reform like Prop. 36”.

Gray is in a narrow rematch with Rep. John Duarte (R-CA) after losing to the Republican in 2022. He said Proposition 36 would help police “restore accountability to repeat offenders.”

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Gray didn’t just reject Newsom’s advice on Proposition 36. He also joined fellow Central Valley native and fellow Democratic congressional hopeful Salas, who also supports the ballot measure, in refusing to campaign with California’s chief executive before election day. Their cold shoulder comes as recent polls show Newsom’s approval ratings are down in the region.

Should Gray, Salas and their four other Democratic cohorts win their congressional races, they would likely shift the balance of power in the House. Republicans hold just a 220 to 212 edge over Democrats in the lower chamber as both parties battle to expand their footprint in Congress.