Political Breakdown

There’s a new entry into the 2026 race for Governor of California. State Senate President Toni Atkins is seeking to become the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person to be governor. Plus, Scott, Marisa and Guy test out an AI bot made by Silicon Valley billionaires trying to get Dean Phillips elected as president.Relisten to past Political Breakdown interviews with some of the candidates running for California Governor in 2026:She Broke 2 Glass Ceilings in Sacramento. Will She Try for 3Tony Thurmond on Culture Wars in California SchoolsBetty Yee on a Lifetime of Running the NumbersEleni Kounalakis on the Lieutenant Governor's Role During the Coronavirus Outbreak and Lessons from Diplomacy in Hungary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a common complaint among Democrats: The GOP is winning the messaging war. So how can they do better? Marisa and Scott are joined by Democratic strategists Anat Shenker-Osorio and Jenifer Fernandez Ancona who released new research examining what economic messaging is most likely to work for Democratic candidates this election year.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Democrats are split on immigration and border security, according to a new poll. KQED's immigration editor Tyche Hendricks joins Scott to break down how this could affect the 2024 elections. Then, Scott is joined by former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to talk about what security means in the age of AI and rising doubts about the integrity of our elections.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There were no big surprises in Monday’s Republican Iowa Caucuses. Donald Trump grabbed more than half the votes, leaving Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley to fight over the crumbs. Now it’s on to New Hampshire, where those three will once again square off. Scott and Marisa talk to POLITICO's Brakkton Booker about the state of the presidential race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott, Marisa and Guy analyze the week's top political stories, including a fresh poll showing California's U.S. Senate race is still very much up for grabs and the very real possibility that the top two will include one Republican and one Democrat. Plus, they look ahead to next week, when Republicans will brave the snow and cold in Iowa to caucus for their candidate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Toni Atkins is the only person in California to have served as both speaker of the Assembly and president of the Senate in the past 150 years. The San Diego Democrat has broken several glass ceilings as a woman and a lesbian. Will she try to break another by running for governor in 2026? Marisa and Scott chat with Atkins about her path from growing up in Appalachia to the top of the California State Legislature.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom today rolled out his plan for solving California's budget deficit. And the good news is the deficit according to Newsom is $38 billion, far less than the $68 billion shortfall that had been expected by many. Scott is joined by Marisa, who is in Sacramento covering the governor's budget blueprint. Then, they're both joined by Chris Hoene of the California Budget and Policy Center to sort through some of the big spending decisions ahead.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 election will be the first where artificial intelligence, or AI, could play a big role — and not necessarily a good one. Today in Sacramento, the head of California Common Cause announced proposals to address the potential problems from things like deepfakes intended to confuse voters. Scott Shafer is joined by Jonathan Mehta Stein, head of Common Cause, to discuss threats posed by technology for this election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KQED is launching a new daily version of Political Breakdown today! So what should you expect and why now? Co-hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos sat down to talk about it. Then the rest of the KQED politics team joins them to chat through the big political news of the day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 legislative session is just underway and in addition to agenda items like closing a massive $68 billion budget deficit, the governor and lawmakers face many big issues on the docket. Scott Shafer and Guy Marzorati check in with CalMatters reporter Sameea Kamal, who is in Sacramento as the Legislature kicks off with a Gaza protest.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices