Neel Kashkari's victory -- actually, a second-place showing in the top-two primary won't bring California Republicans into the sunshine, but it may keep them from digging deeper into the hole.
California is a blue state, but that doesn't rule out future victories for Republicans not named Schwarzenegger. States that are even bluer than California -- New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Maryland -- have all elected Republican governors. The challenge is to find a well-qualified candidate who can hold onto the GOP base and appeal to other voters.
Kashkari will have a hard time beating Brown. But if he can hold his own, he can open the door for other Republican candidates in 2018 and beyond.
Divided We Stand
New book about the 2020 election.
