Thread: Senator Barbara Boxer won't seek re-election in 2016

Senator Barbara Boxer won't seek re-election

By Kevin Freking
Associated Press

POSTED: 01/08/2015 08:26:00 AM PST
UPDATED: 01/08/2015 08:31:14 AM PST

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer. (Staff File)


WASHINGTON -- Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California says she will not seek re-election in 2016 to a fifth term in office.

The 74-year-old Boxer made the announcement in a video with her grandson.

She was first elected to the House in 1982 and then to the Senate one decade later. It was an election that marked a watershed year for women in politics with four winning U.S. Senate seats, including fellow Californian Dianne Feinstein.

In the Senate, Boxer has been a staunch supporter of abortion rights, gun control and environmental protections.

http://www.mercurynews.com/californi...ek-re-election

3:16 pm ET
Jan 8, 2015
2016

The Contenders: Who Will Run for Barbara Boxer’s Senate Seat?

• By REBECCA BALLHAUS and ALEJANDRO LAZO

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) Associated Press

News that four-term Sen. Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) won’t run for re-election in 2016 is fueling Washington’s favorite guessing game: Who will run for the seat?

The last time California had an open Senate seat was in 1992, when Ms. Boxer was first elected to the chamber. What’s more, the state has a top-two primary system in which the two candidates who receive the most votes face off in the general election, regardless of party. Given Democrats’ stronghold in the state, the 2016 election could see two Democrats competing in the final stages. Those factors will likely draw a wide group of the state’s high-profile Democrats—and a healthy smattering of Republicans—to the race.

Here’s a look at who might be on the list of contenders:

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Antonio Villaraigosa Bloomberg News

Mr. Villaraigosa, 61 years old, served as mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 through 2013, when term limits prevented him from running again. Throughout his tenure, speculation bubbled about his political ambitions. Near the end of his final term he said he planned to one day run for governor but wouldn’t campaign against Gov. Jerry Brown, who just began his fourth term. Mr. Villaraigosa has also been mentioned as a possible appointment to positions in the Obama administration, including the role of transportation secretary, which ultimately went to another mayor. Mr. Villaraigosa campaigned heavily for President Barack Obama in both 2012 and 2008 and was chairman of the Democratic National Convention in 2012.
A person close to Mr. Villaraigosa said a Senate campaign was unlikely for the former mayor. “The only seat he cares about is running for governor. He has been a legislator and he’s been an executive, and if he wanted to continue his political career, it would only be as an executive,” the person said.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris Reuters

Ms. Harris, California’s attorney general, is one of the state’s most-mentioned names to run for higher office. She may be best known nationally for the time when President Obama referred to her as the nation’s “best-looking attorney general” during a California fundraising stop, for which the president later apologized. Ms. Harris, 50, has drawn comparisons to the president as a mixed-race candidate (her mother is Indian and her father Jamaican-American) who inspires young people and ethnic minorities, though she delivered a lackluster speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2012.

Ms. Harris was sworn into a second term as the state’s top law enforcement official Monday after re-election by a comfortable 57.5% margin against a little-known Republican rival. In 2010, she won the tightest statewide race in California against Steve Cooley, the well-known Republican district attorney of Los Angeles. Ms. Harris made investigations into the mortgage industry a major issue early in her tenure as attorney general. She has also focused on human trafficking and school truancy.

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom Associated Press

Mr. Newsom became nationally known as the young, telegenic mayor of San Francisco who in 2004 began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, ultimately leading to a 2008 California Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage.

Mr. Newsom, 47, is often mentioned as a contender for higher office, though his desire for a Senate seat isn’t clear. He ran for governor in 2010, but dropped out of the race when it was obvious Jerry Brown was ascendant and instead ran for lieutenant governor, a position he had derided as largely ceremonial. In that post, he has had few official duties but remains a hero to the gay-rights movement and has a strong political base in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ms. Harris and Mr. Newsom are widely seen as leading candidates on the Democratic side, potentially being able to clear the field. They share the same consultant, SCN Strategies in San Francisco, which ran Jerry Brown’s recent gubernatorial campaign andHillary Clinton‘s 2008 presidential campaign in the state. Mr. Newsom has indicated in the past he is most interested in running for governor, telling reporters he would have considered a 2014 bid if Mr. Brown had not run again.

Jason Kinney, his political consultant, didn’t disclose Mr. Newsom’s Senate plans Thursday. “There will be plenty of time to talk about politics. Today we are honoring and celebrating Barbara Boxer,” he said.

Political observers note that running against each other in California’s top-two primary would hurt both of their candidacies, as Ms. Harris and Mr. Newsom would likely split the vote from the San Francisco Bay Area and leave an opening for another candidate.

Billionaire Activist Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer Reuters

Mr. Steyer, a climate-change activist who spent $65 million on the 2014 elections, founded a California-based hedge fund before leaving the private sector in 2013 to focus on politics and philanthropy.Though the Democrats he backed in 2014 largely failed to win their races, he did manage to boost the profile of climate-change issues in the political debate. Mr. Steyer, 57, has also become the closest thing the Democratic Party has to the conservative billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. If he decided to join the race, he would have both the money and, presumably, the support of the large group of Democrats he backed last cycle.

Steve Westly, former California controller and finance chief
Mr. Westly, 58, served as controller and finance chief of California from 2003 to 2007, and ran for governor in 2006 but lost in the Democratic primary. In 2008, he served as the California co-chair for President Obama’s election campaign. He has since founded the Westly Group, a venture capital firm focused on the renewable energy sector. On Thursday, he released a statement praising Ms. Boxer’s tenure in the Senate.

On the Republican side…

Neel Kashkari, former opponent of California Gov. Jerry Brown

Neel Kashkari Associated Press

Mr. Kashkari, 41, could enter the fray fresh off his 20-point loss to Mr. Brown. Before being the Republican contender against the dominant Mr. Brown, Mr. Kashkari was perhaps best known for running the Treasury Department’s bank-rescue program during the financial crisis.

A former Goldman Sachs employee, Mr. Kashkari ran an atypical gubernatorial campaign for a Republican, emphasizing poverty by spending a week posing as a homeless man in Fresno as he was followed by a documentary crew working for his campaign. Though he struggled to raise money during his run for governor, his stances on issues including gay marriage, abortion and gun control could help him position himself as a centrist Republican.

Aaron McLear, a political adviser to Mr. Kashkari during his gubernatorial bid who talked to him earlier today, said Mr. Kashkari “is focused on returning to the private sector, but he hasn’t made any decisions about his political future.”

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman

Meg Whitman Kyle Green/Associated Press

Ms. Whitman, a Republican and the current chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, mounted a failed campaign against Gov. Jerry Brown in 2010, but raised an enormous amount of money. She outspent Mr. Brown nearly five-fold. A billionaire and the former CEO of eBay, Ms. Whitman, 58, said in 2011 that she was “definitely not” considering a Senate seat the following year, but pledged to “stay involved” in public policy.

Later that year she became chief executive at H-P, and she is in the fourth year of her five-year plan for the company.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.)

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy Associated Press

Mr. McCarthy, who was elected to his current post last year after GOP Rep. Eric Cantorwas defeated in the primary, previously served as the No. 3 Republican in the House for three years. First elected to the House in 2006, Mr. McCarthy, 49, is a former deli owner who later rose to the top GOP post in the California State Assembly. His easygoing manner made him a popular whip in the House, where he was responsible for tracking and corralling lawmakers ahead of votes.

…And here’s who’s not running:

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
The former California governor who is returning to his roots in the upcoming “Terminator” film won’t be dipping his toe back into politics. A spokesman for the 67-year-old actor said Mr. Schwarzenegger isn’t considering a Senate run.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.)

Rep. Darrell Issa saul loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Mr. Issa has served in the House for more than a decade and drew national attention in recent years as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where he launched several probes into Obama administration agencies. But an adviser close to the congressman said a Senate campaign is “not going to happen,” and that Mr. Issa is focused on his current role.

Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Ms. Fiorina, 60, a Republican businesswoman whom Ms. Boxer defeated for the Senate seat in 2010, has been the subject of much 2016 chatter in recent months as she mulls a presidential bid.

She is unable to run for a California seat unless she moves back to the state from Virginia, where she now lives.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
Mr. Garcetti, the city’s first elected Jewish mayor, took office in July 2013 and drew attention last fall with a plan to lift the city’s minimum wage to nearly twice the federal level. But the mayor said today he won’t be running for Ms. Boxer’s seat, tweeting: “I love my job and I love my city and I am committed to the work here. I will not run for Sen. Boxer’s seat.”

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer

Kevin Faulconer Reuters

Mr. Faulconer, 47, is a centrist whose victory in San Diego’s mayoral election last year was an important win for the Republican Party, which has struggled elsewhere in California.

His win, which came amid low Democratic turnout, also made San Diego the largest U.S. city with a GOP mayor. Mr. Faulconer tweeted Thursday that he’s staying in San Diego: “My focus is on leading San Diego and continuing to write our city’s comeback story.”

–Peter Nicholas contributed to this report.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/01/08/the-contenders-who-will-run-for-barbara-boxers-senate-seat/

Barbara Boxer's Retirement Marks Beginning Of 'A Big Shakeup' In California

Posted: 01/08/2015 6:41 pm EST Updated: 7 minutes ago

Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D-Calif.) announcement Thursday that she won't seek re-election when her term ends in 2016 will ignite a scramble among prominent California Democrats eager to fill the role, some analysts said.

But the retirement of Boxer, 74, also marks the beginning of a massive overhaul of the Golden State's top elected positions, Larry Gerston, a political science professor emeritus at San Jose State University, told The Huffington Post. In 2018, 76-year-old Gov. Jerry Brown (D)'s term will end, and it's likely that 81-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D), who has held office since 1992, won't run for re-election that year, either.

"These people are all trying to position themselves," Gerston said of potential Democratic successors to Boxer, Brown and Feinstein. "What we're talking about is a big shakeup among the highest offices in the state, beginning in 2016. Democrats need to think about each other and who's running against them. You don't want to leave yourself poisoned."

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, 47, and state Attorney General Kamala Harris, 50, are the two biggest liberal names being floated to take over Boxer's seat. Gerston said he believes Newsom will more likely hold out for the governorship, as the former San Francisco mayor "has always indicated he likes to stay in the executive branch." Harris, he added, has made a name for herself nationally on issues like mortgage settlements and human trafficking, and is "a good possibility" for higher office.

While Newsom and Harris both publicly commented on Boxer's announcement Thursday, both remained mum on their own future plans. "Senator Boxer is a true progressive champion and a tireless advocate for California’s priorities," Harris said in a statement. "I wish her all the best."

Newsom, meanwhile, praised Boxer's tenure while touting his own history as a native Californian. Gertson said that tactic suggests Newsom may be trying to position himself for a future campaign. "Growing up in Marin County, I remember Senator Boxer as my tenacious representative on the Board of Supervisors and I knew at a young age what every American everywhere now knows to be an immutable truth -- there’s no 'quit' in Barbara Boxer," Newsom said in a statement emailed to reporters.

Other Democratic names being floated to succeed Boxer include former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, 61, and billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, 57. While Steyer issued a statement lauding Boxer as a "warrior for progressive causes," he didn't indicate whether a 2016 run would be in his future. A source close to Villaraigosa told The Wall Street Journal that he was much more likely to mount a campaign for governor than for U.S. Senate.

Regardless of who ends up California's next U.S. senator, Gerston said the job likely will be filled by a Democrat. "While there are one or two Republican possibilities, I'd say they have an uphill battle," he said, noting that the state has historically swayed blue and voter turnout is higher during presidential election years. "We'll probably remain in Democratic hands with someone as liberal or as close to liberal as Barbara Boxer."

Potential Republican candidates who may run for Boxer's seat include former Goldman Sachs executive Neel Kashkari, 41, who lost last year's gubernatorial electionto Brown; San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, 47, and Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman, 58, who poured nearly $200 million of her own money into an unsuccessful campaign against Brown in 2010.

As for Brown's own political ambitions (he has run unsuccessfully for both California Senate and U.S. president in the past), Gerston said he believes the governor is more concerned with solidifying his legacy than mounting a campaign for a 2018 Senate seat. "He's in the last leg of his governorship," Gerston said. "He's going to nurse high speed rail, follow through with education reform, complete prison realignment. These are some serious issues. He won't leave any of that behind to start campaigning."

Boxer, who was elected the same year as Feinstein in 1992, leaves behind her own legacy as an environmental reformer and a champion for women's rights. She said she would continue to fight for progressive issues in a video announcing her retirement on Thursday.

"I'm going to continue working on the issues that I love," she said. "I have to make sure the Senate seat stays progressive -- that is so critical -- and I want to help our Democratic candidate for president make history. But you know what? I want to come home."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_6438692.html

NBC News says this may become the first BILLION DOLLAR senate seat election.

Tom McClintock ought to run too imo.

Time, LA Times, WaPo Suggest Liberal Billionaire Steyer as Boxer Replacement

By Mike Ciandella | January 9, 2015 | 12:01 PM EST
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Liberal billionaire Tom Steyer is considering running for Barbara Boxer’s U.S. Senate seat, according to Politico, and the media are thrilled. The media have pressured liberal billionaire Tom Steyer to run for office before, and as soon as Boxer’s seat opened up they began suggesting him as a viable replacement.
According to the Jan. 9 Politico piece, “[a]lmost as soon as Boxer announced that she would not seek reelection in 2016, Steyer began reviewing polling data and making calls to California labor and political figures, associates said. And he is consulting with the contacts he made while running two multi-million-dollar advocacy campaigns focused on statewide ballot measures in 2010 and 2012.”

Politico also noted that “[a]s far back as 2013, when asked about his political ambitions, Steyer told POLITICO, ‘I am willing to do a lot of things to address the generational challenge we face. I will say that.’”

Steyer spent more than $74 million on campaigns in 2014, but his efforts ranged from ineffective to inaccurate. Politico even called some of his ads “bizzare,” while The Washington Post gave another “four Pinocchios,” the most scathing falsehood rating that the Post can give to something.

The 74-year-old Barbara Boxer announced on Jan. 8 that she won’t be seeking re-election in 2016. The Sacramento Bee also mentioned that Sen. Dianne Feinstein “who will be 85 in 2018, could also retire.”

Time magazine’s online service, The Washington Post and the local Los Angeles NBC affiliate lost no time in listing among “as possible candidates” to replace Boxer. Time described Steyer as “a hedge-fund manager who spent billions backing candidates who promoted action on climate change in the 2014 election cycle,” but failed to mention how poorly those candidates had fared.

Even before Boxer’s resignation was announced, print media outlets had asked Steyer if he would consider running for political office. Steyer has been a media darling for years. The New York Times even called him “the most influential environmentalist in American politics,” while The Washington Post classified him as a “climate change radical.” And, as The Sacramento Bee pointed out, Steyer “can afford” to finance his own campaign. But these media outlets fail to mention that while he was campaigning against fossil fuels in the United States, Steyer was making money off of coal mining in Australia as late as 2013.

This isn’t the first time that Steyer would have considered a job in politics either. According to San Francisco Gate, the hometown newspaper for Steyer’s primary residence, he “was considered a shoo-in for a position in Kerry’s administration.”

Steyer was also rumored as a possible replacement for Energy Secretary Steven Chu, although he told The San Francisco Business Times that he would be “awfully surprised” if President Obama asked him to take that position.

Up until this point, Steyer has stuck to funding other people running for office instead of running himself, but with little success. In 2014, he spent more than $74 million on liberal candidates, most of which ended up losing. Even the three candidates he funded who won owed little or nothing to Steyer.

- See more at: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mike-ci....n3Z8dfSi.dpuf

Lt. Gov. Newsom passes on Senate run for Boxer seat


Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom takes the oath of office for lieutenant governor on Jan. 5 with his wife, Jennifer, and daughters Brooklynn, 1, and Montana, 5. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

By SEEMA MEHTA contact the reporter

Newsom passes on Senate run for Boxer seat; has long expressed desire to run for governor

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday morning that he will not run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer.

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POLITICS Villaraigosa would add dynamic new element in race to succeed Boxer SEE ALL RELATED

“It's always better to be candid than coy. While I am humbled by the widespread encouragement of so many and hold in the highest esteem those who serve us in federal office, I know that my head and my heart, my young family's future, and our unfinished work all remain firmly in the state of California --- not Washington, D.C. Therefore I will not seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2016,” Newsom said.

The former mayor of San Francisco has long expressed a desire to run for governor. He briefly ran the state’s top executive post in 2010 until it became clear that Jerry Brown would be the Democratic nominee, at which point Newsom successfully ran for lieutenant governor instead.

Newsom also has three young children, and he and his wife are said to be reluctant to move their family from Marin County to Washington, D.C.

But Newsom, like many prominent Democrats in California, had been urged to seriously consider a run for Boxer’s seat after she announced last week that she would not seek another term. The state last had an open U.S. Senate seat in 1992, and given California’s Democratic tilt, whichever candidate wins the post is nearly assured the job for as long as he or she wants it, barring scandal.

Newsom’s announcement intensifies the focus on Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who is also weighing a run. Harris and Newsom share many of the same supporters, have national profiles, are both from the Bay Area and are popular among the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. Their backers have long hoped that the pair would avoid running against each other in what would be an ugly battle. The unanswered question is whether Harris also wants to be governor.

On Sunday, she demurred when asked by a reporter at an event in Los Angeles whether she would run for Boxer's seat.

“I am just enjoying this day, thank you,” she told The Times after giving a short speech at the City Club about her goals in her second term as the state’s top law-enforcement officer.

Newsom, 47, joins Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in taking himself out of the running for the Senate seat. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer are seriously considering bids, as are several members of Congress. On the Republican side, Assemblyman Rocky Chavez and two former state GOP chairmen are weighing runs.

http://www.latimes.com/local/politic...112-story.html

Atty. Gen. Harris to announce U.S. Senate bid on Tuesday


Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris is the first candidate to officially declare that she will seek Barbara Boxer's Senate seat. (Jae C. Hong / AP)

By SEEMA MEHTAcontact the reporter

Harris plans to announce bid for U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday. First candidate to declare for Boxer seat.

Harris adviser: "She's not testing the waters. She's charting the course. She's in with both feet."

California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris will announce Tuesday that she is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer, according to a Harris advisor.

lRelated
POLITICAL Lt. Gov. Newsom passes on Senate run for Boxer seat SEE ALL RELATED

"She's not testing the waters. She's charting the course. She's in with both feet," said the source who requested anonymity while discussing Harris' plans.

The move comes as Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he would not run for the seat, averting an ugly battle between two Democrats who share many of the same supporters, have national profiles, are both from the Bay Area and are popular with the liberal wing of the party.

Harris, 50, who is in her second term as attorney general, previously served as the district attorney of San Francisco. She is the first candidate to officially declare. Boxer announced last week that she would not seek reelection in 2016, setting off a scramble among Democrats who have not seen an open U.S. Senate seat since 1992.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer are seriously considering bids, as are several members of Congress.

On the Republican side, Assemblyman Rocky Chavez and two former state GOP chairmen are weighing runs.

http://www.latimes.com/local/politic...112-story.html

Loretta Sanchez 'Seriously Considering' Running For Senate In California

The Huffington Post | By Mollie Reilly
Posted: 01/13/2015 3:21 pm EST Updated: 20 minutes ago

Rep. Loretta Sanchez is the latest California Democrat to express interest in retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer's seat.

"For the past 18 years, I have focused on putting California’s working families first. From immigration reform to affordable health care to funding quality education, I have advocated for policies that give all families the same access to the American Dream," Sanchez said in a Tuesday statement. "Californians deserve a strong voice in Washington and I have never been afraid to speak up, which is why I am seriously considering running for the United States Senate in 2016."

Sanchez was first elected to Congress in 1996, representing part of Southern California's Orange County. She explored running for California governor in 2010, but ultimately decided against jumping in the race.

Boxer, who has served in the Senate for more than two decades, announced last week that she would not run for re-election in 2016. The state has not had an open Senate seat since Boxer was first elected in 1992.

Sanchez's statement came hours after California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced that she would run for the seat, becoming the first candidate to officially jump in the race.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has also said he is considering running, while California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that he would stay out of the race.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_6465290.html

Originally Posted by Jean

Tom McClintock ought to run too imo.

Oh yes, he certainly should!