SACRAMENTO, California. —
Political analyst Mike Luery joined KCRA 3 Wednesday to share his findings on the midterm election results so far.
Luery spoke about the “blue wave” favoring the Democratic Party in the election, some of the factors that led to it, and the impact of California.
“President Trump said ‘pretend to be on this ballot’ and voters took that to heart, because they don’t like what the president has proposed in terms of relief,” Luery said, detailing how these results could be the result of dissatisfaction with the war in Iran, gas prices and the cost of living.
As for California, Luery said redistricting allowed Democratic candidates to benefit from demographic change in fewer areas. He cited areas like Folsom, Rocklin and Roseville as likely to turn bluer in this election because of new congressional lines.
California Governor-elect Xavier Becerra will assume office in a Democratic-controlled Congress.
Luery said Gov. Gavin Newsom has been “the foil” to the Trump administration and Republicans during his tenure, but Becerra will likely focus on California.
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“He talks about ‘taking care of business’ and working with the Legislature,” Luery said. “We’re hearing about a possible mileage tax, as opposed to a gas tax, which would be controversial. There’s a lot of infrastructure and blocks to change at the Capitol, so it will be interesting to see what happens.”
Luery said it’s important for Democrats to focus on key issues that voters care about if they want to best position themselves for 2028.
“There’s a lot of pressure within the party to hold hearings and have a ‘revenge and retribution tour,’ but a lot of (Democrats) are also saying they need to focus on the kitchen issues,” Luery said. “They really need to make things better for people at home.”
Luery cited affordability, gas regulation and AI as key points for voters.
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