Republican Candidate Steve Garvey Started His Career on the Left (Infield)

In California, a Former Dodger Turned Politician Demonstrates How Positions Hide Weaknesses

Many of us aren’t old enough to remember it, but Steve Garvey, now the leading Republican candidate for California’s U.S. Senate seat, started his career on the left.

The left side of the infield, that is. When the Los Angeles Dodgers first called up Garvey to the majors at the end of the 1969 season, he played third base.

Soon, however, Garvey on the left became a defensive disaster. He had a powerful arm, but he was dangerously inaccurate. He so often threw balls over the first baseman’s head and into the …

Why Are Democrats Reluctant to Be Woke? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Why Are Democrats Reluctant to Be Woke?

The Party’s Fear of Alienating White Voters Is Misplaced—And Creating a Missed Opportunity

Recent debates over how race fits into American politics have centered on one word: “woke.” Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act,” which took effect in July, is intended to restrict how schools …

What the Remarkable Transformation of One Georgia County Means for America | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

What the Remarkable Transformation of One Georgia County Means for America

Gwinnett County Is a Testament to the Political Power of ‘a Racially and Culturally Diverse Group’ of New Suburbanites

Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia was surely the most surprising red state flip in the 2020 presidential election. Exploring the strikingly rapid transformation of Gwinnett County, the state’s largest suburban …

Californians Need a New Political Party That Can Keep Us Afloat | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Californians Need a New Political Party That Can Keep Us Afloat

Forget Democrats and Republicans. Real Change Requires Fresh Ideology

I got one of those calls again—they come every six months or so—from a Silicon Valley hotshot who wants to use his brain and his wealth to fix what ails …

Don’t Trust Kamala Harris; Trust the California That Made Her | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Don’t Trust Kamala Harris; Trust the California That Made Her

Harris’s Path Through the Golden State Prepared the VP Nominee to Understand America as Few Can

Kamala will be fine. She’s a Californian.

This column is not an endorsement of the vice presidential nominee. But you can ignore all the anxiety on the left about her shifting …

The 1958 Governor’s Race That Launched a Dynasty

An Internecine Fight Between Two Republicans Opened the Door to Ambitious San Francisco Democrat Pat Brown

As Jerry Brown nears the end of his record fourth term as California governor, his final months are swathed in nostalgia, superlatives, and retrospectives on a remarkable five decades in …