DNC COMMUNICATIONS BRIEFING

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Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Walter Garcia
Ryan Banfill; Eric Walker
October 27, 2016

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INTERVIEW with Univisions Leon Krauze

Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Univision Studios, 5999 Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Taped
YOU, Leon Krauze
State of the Race
N/A
Ryan Banfill / Garret Bonosky
Mahelda Rodriguez, mrodriguez2@UNIVISION.NET, (310) 567-3149 cell

TIMELINE:
Arrival Time:
Makeup:
Hit Time:
Cleared:

3:45 pm PST
Asking that DWS be camera ready, but light powder will be provided if needed
4:00 pm PST
4:20 pm PST

TOPLINE:
Friendly, charismatic, but willing to ask tough questions. Thats the best way to describe Leon Krauze,
who is one of Univisions top anchors.
Since the focus of the interview will be the state of the race, itll be important to emphasize that Donald
Trump is, for all intents and purposes, already the GOP nominee. This for two main reasons:
1. Trump is viewed very, very unfavorably among Latinos. In fact, according to a recent poll
conducted by the Washington Post and Univision, 8 out of 10 Latinos view him unfavorably.
Thats terrible news for the GOP, but it gets even worse: weve already begun to see the real
effects of this. Per The Hill (full article below), Registration among Hispanic voters is
skyrocketing in a presidential election cycle dominated by Donald Trump and loud GOP cries to
close the border. Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Elected and
Appointed Officials, projects 13.1 million Hispanics will vote nationwide in 2016, compared to
11.2 million in 2012 and 9.7 million in 2008. Many of those new Hispanic voters are also
expected to vote against Trump if he is the Republican nominee, something that appears much
more likely after the front-runners sweeping primary victories Tuesday in five East Coast
states. And so, clearly, the GOP hasnt heeded the lessons from their very own autopsy report.

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2. Trump and the rest of the GOP field have all said offensive things about Latinos:
o Senator Ted Cruz has said undocumented immigrants should "absolutely" be deported
and that the Presidents executive actions on DAPA and DACA should be immediately
rescinded. This past weekend at the California GOP Convention, he was also endorsed by
former Governor Pete Wilson, who pushed hard for an anti-immigrant ballot initiative
known as Proposition 187 in 1996. This was the California Democratic Partys response:

Former California Governor Pete Wilson, who was the champion of the meanspirited and unconstitutional Proposition 187, has endorsed Ted Cruz for
president. Gov. Wilson can explain to Sen. Cruz the benefits of having strong antiimmigration policies in California -- they have worked so well for the Republican
Party here. -- California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton

o Governor John Kasich has mocked a path to citizenship and likened it to cutting a line at
a concert. He said and I quote, "I don't favor citizenship because, as I teach my kids, you
don't jump the line to get into a Taylor Swift concert, clearly not understanding the
impact his words would have on families and on our economy in California and across
the country.
o And theyve all tried to keep up with Donald Trump, who of course kicked off his
campaign claiming Mexican immigrants were "bringing drugs and they are bringing
crime, theyre rapists."
TALKING POINTS:
TALKING POINTS May 3, 2016
Topline Message:

The results of the primaries in Indiana are the culmination of what can only be described as a
disastrous week for the Republican Party. Clearly the GOPs problems go well beyond their
convention, and they simply dont have a candidate with the judgment or temperament to serve.
The next President of the United States will be nominated at our Democratic convention in
Philadelphia.

In just seven days, Republicans saw their former House Speaker call one of their candidates
Lucifer in the flesh, watched a desperate, mathematically-eliminated campaign announce a Vice
Presidential pick and get ridiculed for it, and then kicked off the Indiana primaries with
accusations that Ted Cruzs father was tied to Lee Harvey Oswald. That last allegation was made
by Dangerous Donald Trump based on a tabloid story he saw in the National Enquirer.

Now the GOP is stuck with the tabloid-touting reality TV star as their presumptive nominee, a
divisive candidate whose ugly campaign rhetoric is tied to dangerous proposals that would drag
America backwards and make our country less safe.

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Democrats are headed into our convention and into the general election in a far stronger position,
with most of our primary voters in exit polls over the last several weeks confirming that they
would support either one of our candidates, while a majority of Republicans concede their
primary has been divisive.

By the Numbers

More than 7 out of 10 Democrats are energized by our primary. Last week, in Connecticut and
Pennsylvania respectively, 67% and 71% of Democrats reported feeling energized by our
primary. Today in Indiana it was three-quarters of Democratic voters who said our primary has
energized our party, and a majority of Democrats who voted today expressed support for either
one of our candidates.

In Indiana, exit polls showed that 53 percent of Republican primary voters say they feel betrayed
by the Republican Party. A majority of Republicans concede that their primary has been divisive,
and easily a third of Republicans would prefer to stay home or support an alternative candidate
than vote for Trump in November.

The Republican Party is less popular than its been in more than two decades.

A Crisis of Their Own Making

For years, GOP leaders have pushed a cynical and feckless political strategy that exploits
unfounded fears of immigrants, minorities, the poor, the LGBT community and more, all for
political gain.
They have sold hardworking Americans the empty promise of trickle-down prosperity, while
strangling Americas middle class with backwards economic policies that only enrich those
already at the top.
Donald Trumps impending nomination after Tuesdays results is the ultimate, sad culmination of
the success of that strategy. Trump is the modern Republican Party.
While the Republican establishment comes to terms with their nominee, even some of them are
acknowledging Trump is dangerous and lacks the judgment to be Commander in Chief.
o Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Sunday said that hes troubled by the fact
that Donald Trump doesnt listen to anyone, and raised serious questions about Trump on
foreign policy. Between his contradictions and threatening our most important alliances,
Donald Trump would put our country on a dangerous path.

Joint Fundraising Committees / Sanders Accusations of Money Laundering

The suggestion theres anything unusual about our joint victory funds has no basis in the law or
reality, as recognized by numerous independent experts that have looked at this

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The fact is both campaigns signed on to similar agreements. While only one campaign is
currently using their joint victory fund we encourage both of our campaigns to identify
opportunities to support the national and state Democratic parties now so that we can continue to
build the infrastructure to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot in November.
The money raised by the joint victory funds, even when the money goes to the DNC, still helps
state parties. The funds help strengthen, for example, our national voter file and
communications, research and digital support for state parties and down ballot candidates.
That includes training across a variety of areas, for example, and access to media
monitoring and rapid response support. This is helping the Party right NOW build the
infrastructure we need for the general election.
Politico got it wrong. Their claim that state parties only get to keep 1 percent of all the money
being raised is incorrect and comparing apples and oranges. They reference the total amount of
money that has been raised, but of that, many millions have been raised for state parties and just
havent been distributed to them yet (nor has it gone to the DNC or anywhere else). Because this
is money for the general election, and coordinated campaigns are just now starting to be built at
state parties, it is perfectly understandable that not all of the HVF money owed to state parties
would have been distributed yet.
We had JFA s with the Obama campaigns in 2008 and 2012, and the Kerry campaign in
2004. And while the funds are going to the DNC right now to build tools and capacity for the
general election, there will be a point when the funds stay in the states to fund coordinated
campaigns that are now beginning to get organized.
Thats why experts have agreed theres nothing unusual about the victory funds. Rick Hasen, an
influential academic on campaign finance, posted an analysis on the Election Law Blog that
addressed this issue. Hasen states in the article that it is hard to see what provision of the law is
at issue. As the blog points out, legally the criticism of the fund seems weak.
http://electionlawblog.org/?p=81996
These arrangements are not new or unusual. Similar joint fundraising committees were
established with our Democratic candidate in both 2008 and 2012. And again, both campaigns
have signed on and have the option of using joint victory funds.
And lets be clear, neither the DNC nor state parties are subsidizing fundraising through these
committees for either campaign. For whatever each campaign raises under the agreement that
then goes to their campaign, that campaign pays a directly proportional amount for the cost of
that fundraising.

Sanders Comments About a Contested Convention / Arizona Lawsuit

Were going to be united at our convention, and were confident in our process, which was in
place well before we knew who would run this cycle and which has been fair to all of our
candidates.

Its not our job to handicap the race, our candidates will determine the future of their own
campaigns. Both Senator Clinton and Senator Sanders have been clear theyll work hard in
November to ensure we dont let a Republican like Trump or Cruz drag our country backward.
So Im confident well be united.

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Weve cautioned our candidates to maintain a tone that helps us build toward the general
election, recognizing that as we funnel down the home stretch of any campaign the intensity
level will rise.

Ultimately, Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders are drawing sharp differences with one
another, but their differences remain focused on how to best move America forward.

If you want to talk about a rigged process, look at states like Arizona where efforts to make it
harder for people to vote are on clear display. The Democratic National Committee and
Senatorial Campaign Committee are suing officials in Arizona whose decisions led to voters
having to wait for hours to vote during their March primaries, and many to be disenfranchised as
a result. We want to make sure that doesnt happen in November.

In Maricopa County, officials reduced the number of polling locations to just 1 for every 21,000
people. Thats seven times what it was in other parts of the state, and it shows you the magnitude
of the efforts to make it harder to vote that Republicans are championing all across the country.

And its not just Arizona, you had a member of Congress from Wisconsin, Glenn Grothman, who
flat out said that they expected they could now win Wisconsin because of the Voter ID law. It
was his Kevin McCarthy moment, and the type of rigging of the system were not going to put
up with.

Sanders/DNC Lawsuit

We are glad that this issue has been resolved.

The forensic analysis conducted by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike confirmed that the
DNCs initial findings, which were the basis of the temporary shutdown in December, were
accurate.
Following the conclusion of the audit that confirmed the DNC's original findings, the Sanders
campaign withdrew its lawsuit.

United At Our Convention

Were less than 100 days from the July conventions, and its clear that Democrats will emerge united,
while Republicans are embroiled in drama better suited for a reality show than a contest for the
presidency.

Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are dedicated to supporting the eventual Democratic
nominee.

Last week, Senator Sanders said at a town hall on MSNBC that he will do everything in his
power to make sure no Republican gets into the White House in November.

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And Secretary Clinton has been clear about her commitment to unifying the party and the need to
build on the progress weve made under Democratic leadership over the last 7 years.

Because the Partys platform is a statement of our values, the DNC is committed to an open, inclusive
and representative process. Both of our campaigns will be represented on the Platform Drafting
Committee, and just as we did in 2008 and 2012, the public will have opportunities to participate.
Democrats know that were stronger when more voices are heard, and when we stand together to move
our country forward, well see that in Philadelphia at our convention.
Compare that to the Republican Chaos in Cleveland
Last week, the increasingly desperate Cruz and Kasich campaigns forged an unusual alliance to stop
Trump, but it barely lasted as long as the announcement that it was happening.
A majority of Trump supporters said they would abandon the Republican Party if he loses the
nomination and runs as a third-party candidate.
Even Republican leaders are afraid of going near their radioactive convention. Youve already seen
Republican candidates in tight races, like Senator Kirk in Illinois and John McCain the GOP nominee
eight years ago say they will not attend their own convention in Cleveland. But dont let them fool
you, theyre not any better than the top of their ticket.
Clintons Speeches and Sanders Taxes
Our job at the Party isnt to handicap our own primary, were not going to referee.
There are real differences, but theyre with the Republicans, and while you have to expect that the
candidates are going to draw sharp differences, theyre also highlighting what a much better option
voters have with Democrats.
Just look at the issue of taxes as millions of Americans filed last week, but most of them didnt get to
take advantage of special loopholes or get special breaks. Yet every single Republican plan for the
economy is based on tax cuts for those at the very top of the income scale. Its exactly the economic
policy that the Bush Administration had as they drove us toward the great recession.
So ultimately those are the differences that will matter most in November.
GOP Frontrunner Trump is Reckless and Dangerous

The Economy: Trumps unfounded predictions of recession and warnings against investing in
the stock market are reckless, and economists have already predicted his policies could start an
international trade war and cause a global recession.

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Foreign Policy: Trumps threat to pull back from our most important military alliances in NATO
sends a dangerous message, which is particularly troubling in light of his past praise of Russian
President Vladimir Putin.

Nuclear Proliferation: Trump has refused to say he wouldnt use nuclear weapons on European
territory, then suggested South Korea and Japan should either develop nuclear weapons or pay
the United States for protection against North Korea.

On abortion: Trump has taken multiple positions on abortion - from a dangerous and offensive
call to punish women who get an abortion, to saying he would allow states to restrict womens
rights, to saying abortion laws are set but he would eliminate them with judicial appointments.

The GOPs Problem with Women Voters

Trump is viewed unfavorably by 7 out of 10 women, but both of his primary opponents would
also alienate women voters with their policies as the nominee.

Kasich said that he wants to see Roe v. Wade repealed, and when asked what kind of punishment
that would lead to, he evaded the question by saying that it should be left to the states.

Cruz said that even if a woman has been brutally raped, she should be forced to carry the
pregnancy caused by her attacker to term.

In the past, the Republican candidates have opposed equal pay, family leave, and voted against
the Violence Against Women Act.
Last month we marked Equal Pay Day, the day in 2016 when womens earnings have caught up
with mens earnings from 2015. On average we earn 79 cents to their dollar, and its worse for
women of color. All of the Republican presidential candidates would stand against protections
that ensure greater equality in the workplace.

John Kasich has consistently belittled women and said that we dont need workplace protections,
just a change of heart among major employers.

Ted Cruz voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act three times and ridiculed the legislation as a
show vote.
Donald Trump stated that women would have pay equity if we did as good a job as men.
Advantage, Democrats

Despite all the media attention that Republican frontrunner Trump gets with his say-anything
strategy, Democrats are winning where it matters.

Page 7 of 16

Senator Clinton has earned more votes, well over 10 million and far ahead of Donald Trump
while Senator Sanders has earned more than 8 million votes (well ahead of Ted Cruz and John
Kasich), while also garnering more than seven million individual campaign contributions from
low dollar donors.

If there is an enthusiasm gap, it clearly favors Democrats.

BACKGROUND:
Since Trump has offended Latinos in pretty much every way imaginable, theyve been more than willing
to protest against him:

Recently, for instance, at the annual May Day marches in downtown Los Angeles, the
Republican presidential candidate literally loomed over one of the rallies in the form of a giant
balloon effigy carrying a Ku Klux Klan hood and outside the California GOP Convention this
past weekend, demonstrations forced the billionaire to make quite the entrance. According to the
Mercury News, To outfox the protesters, Trump and his entourage parked on a service road next
to Highway 101, walked single-file between concrete barriers and ambled over a grassy median
to reach the hotel. Flagging that Trump said the following upon taking the stage: That was not
the easiest entrance I've ever madeWe were walking over and under fences. I felt like I was
crossing the border."

In short, youll almost certainly get asked about this. For reference, Luis was asked about this matter on
CNN last week in particular because some of the protests have been violent and he said the
following: protests should be peaceful. Absolutely.
In addition, its worth noting that California has experienced an extraordinary turnaround thanks to the
Democratic leadership of Governor Jerry Brown:

Theyve gone from having a state deficit of $27 billion, an unemployment rate of 12%, and the
worst credit rating in the country, to now having a budget surplus, creating a Rainy Day Fund to
offset the next economy downturn, and weve even had our credit rating raised three times by
Standard and Poors. But thats not all: last month, California also raised the state minimum
wage, expanded paid sick leave, and expanded paid family leave.

RELEVANT RECENT NEWS CLIPS:

Hispanic voter registration spikes
THE HILL // RAFAEL BERNAL
Registration among Hispanic voters is skyrocketing in a presidential election cycle dominated by
Donald Trump and loud GOP cries to close the border.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Elected and Appointed Officials,
projects 13.1 million Hispanics will vote nationwide in 2016, compared to 11.2 million in 2012 and 9.7
million in 2008.

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Many of those new Hispanic voters are also expected to vote against Trump if he is the Republican
nominee, something that appears much more likely after the front-runners sweeping primary victories
Tuesday in five East Coast states.
A whopping 80 percent of respondents in a poll of registered Hispanic voters in Colorado and Nevada
said Trump's views on immigration made them less likely to vote for Republicans in November. In
Florida, that number was 68 percent.
The figures are sparking confident tones from Democrats, who think their partys nominee will benefit
from a huge advantage in the fall not only in the presidential race but also in battles for the House and
Senate.
Because of the contrast between the GOP and Democratic fields, we feel absolutely confident about our
chances of electing Democrats up and down the ballot in November, said Walter Garcia, western
regional communication director for the Democratic National Committee.
Many of the newly registered Hispanic voters are in California and Texas, relatively safe states for
Democrats and Republicans, respectively.
In fact, because so many Hispanic voters live in those states, the effect of the rising registration numbers
will be somewhat undercut, according to Vargas.
Still, rising registration rates among Hispanics in Colorado, Florida and Nevada could make it easier for
the Democratic candidate to retain those swing states. Even Arizona could be in play, say some poll
watchers.
Registration is a game-changer with Hispanic voters.
Only about 48 percent of eligible Hispanics vote, but nearly 80 percent of registered Hispanics go to the
ballot box.
Democrats have already targeted Colorado, Florida and Nevada with at least $15 million for Hispanic
outreach, according to Vargas.
In Colorado, where 15 percent of eligible voters are Hispanic, the demographic has already shown its
ability to flip elections.
The 2016 Colorado Democratic caucuses were one of the first big tests for presidential candidate Bernie
Sanders against rival Hillary Clinton. With nearly 30,000 newly registered voters and strong support
from Hispanic millennials, Sanders beat Clinton by more than 20,000 votes.
President Obama won 51.5 percent of the vote in Colorado in 2012, compared to 46 percent for GOP
nominee Mitt Romney. In Nevada, Obama won 52 percent of the vote to Romneys 46 percent.
Arizona has been a relatively safe state for Republicans in recent presidential elections, but Democrats
have long wondered if they could make it competitive.

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Romney won 53.5 percent of the vote there in 2012, Obama 44.5 percent.
David Lublin, professor of government at American University, describes Arizona as the sort of state
that if Clinton starts moving into landslide or big-win territory, she could win.
Yet the real danger for Republicans could be down the ballot particularly in the battle for the Senate,
where longtime Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) could be a target.
Obama won 74 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2012, according to exit polls by NBC.
A Democrat in 2016 would likely depend on larger Hispanic turnout and a larger share of the white vote
to win the state.
Romney hurt himself with Hispanic voters in 2012 by suggesting that undocumented workers selfdeport. He moved to the right on immigration and border security in the primary and was relatively quiet
on the issue in the general election.
Both parties think Trumps rhetoric, which has included insults directed at Mexicans and a plan to build
a wall on the border and make Mexico pay for it, could be more difficult to overcome in a general
election.
Trump has "motivated Latino voters," said Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.)
Immigration was shown by an America's Voice/Latino Decisions poll to be the primary issue driving
Hispanics away from Republican candidates in 2016.
However, Hispanic voters nationally said the most important issue facing the country is the economy.
Ruth Guerra, Republican National Committee director of Hispanic media, gives little credence to the
polls: Not only is Latino Decisions on Hillary Clintons payroll, they have proven to be inaccurate time
and again, so we will take their results in context.
She also criticized Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, on immigration issues, accusing her of
thinking Hispanics would have amnesia.
She noted that Clinton was opposed to giving drivers licenses to undocumented workers as a senator
from New York but has now reversed her position.
Clintons flip flops and hypocrisy on immigration are a mile long because she will tell voters anything
to win an election, Guerra said.
A win by a Democrat presidential candidate in Florida, Colorado and Nevada would make it very
difficult for a GOP candidate to reach 270 electoral votes and win the White House.

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In fact, Democrats could actually lose the swing state of Ohio but win Pennsylvania or Wisconsin and
get to 270 simply by holding other states that have voted for the Democratic nominee in presidential
elections for the last six cycles.
Jon Ralston, a veteran Nevada political journalist who is not surprised by the numbers, said, The real
problem is that Trump, and, to a lesser degree, Cruz, will drive up Hispanic turnout against
Republicans."
He said the only path for the GOP nominee to the White House in such a situation would be to win more
white votes.
Ralston described this as a path we have never seen before. Huge increase in white vote.
If the numbers hold true, the electoral map becomes daunting for Republicans with the three states in
question turned solid blue. Based on 270towin's 2016 toss-up map, Democrats would only have to win
one of either Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia or North Carolina (or a more unlikely
combination of only New Hampshire and Iowa) if the Hispanic vote does indeed deliver Colorado,
Florida and Nevada.
"Its not a favorable situation among Latinos and it doesnt seem like Republicans will be able to make it
up among white voters," said Lublin.
Trump's rise is driving immigrants to become citizens
AP // SERGIO BUSTOS
On a recent Saturday morning in South Florida, 50-year-old Edgar Ospina stood in a long line of
immigrants to take the first step to become an American.
Ospina has spent almost half his life in the U.S. after emigrating from his native Colombia, becoming
eligible for citizenship in 1990. But with Donald Trump becoming a more likely presidential nominee by
the day, Ospina decided to wait no more, rushing the paperwork required to become a citizen.
"Trump is dividing us as a country," said Ospina, owner of a small flooring and kitchen remodeling
company. "He's so negative about immigrants. We've got to speak up."
Nationwide, immigrants like Ospina are among tens of thousands applying for naturalization in a year
when immigration has taken center stage in the presidential campaign, especially in the race for the
Republican nomination.
Trump, the GOP front-runner, has pledged to deport the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S.
illegally. He's also vowed to bar Muslims from entering the country and threatened to cut off remittances
that Mexican immigrants in the U.S. send back home. And he's called for building a border wall
among other proposals to deal with unlawful immigration, saying the federal government has failed to
protect the border from people and drugs illegally entering the country.

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That rhetoric, immigrant advocates and lawmakers say, is driving many foreign-born residents to seek
citizenship.
"There is fear of a Trump presidency," said Maria Ponce of iAmerica Action, a Washington-based
immigrant rights group that is teaming up with other organizations to help those seeking citizenship
part of a national campaign called "Stand Up To Hate." They've sponsored naturalization workshops
from Washington state to Nebraska and Massachusetts.
Nationwide, naturalization applications are up 14 percent in the last six months of 2015 compared with
the same period in 2014, according to the government.
And the pool of future U.S. citizens is large. Nearly 9 million legal permanent residents, or green-card
holders, are eligible to become Americans. Of those, about 4 million are Hispanic.
Rep. Luis Gutirrez, D-Ill., was featured in a public service announcement encouraging immigrants to
become citizens so they can vote in November. He mocked Trump's slogan, suggesting it was really:
"Make America Hate Again."
"We've seen it in the past and we are seeing it again many times over this year," he said. "When
immigrant communities feel they are under attack they react with a large number of eligible immigrants
becoming citizens and a large number of eligible citizens becoming voters."
Erica Bernal of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials said the tenor of the presidential
campaign is galvanizing Latino immigrants. She said today's movement is reminiscent of the 1990s
when Latinos in California rose up against Proposition 187, which sought to deny government services
to those in the state illegally. The courts overturned it.
Her group and several local ones in Los Angeles recently launched a regional campaign to encourage
Latino immigrants to become citizens. About 775,000 legal immigrants in the L.A. area are eligible for
citizenship.
To qualify, immigrants must have been in the country five years, complete a 21-page application, get
fingerprinted, pass a civics and English exam and pay almost $700 in fees.
Ivan Parra, citizenship coordinator with the Florida Immigrant Coalition said immigrants laugh when he
asks why they want to become Americans.
"'You know why,' they say, 'I want to vote against racism and hate,'" said Parra.
He says immigrants this year are "desperate to be part of the political process."
Maria Cristina Giraldo, originally from Colombia and already a U.S. citizen, said she is so fearful of
Trump becoming president that she brought five relatives to a naturalization workshop in South Florida.

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"Trump is anti-immigrant," said Giraldo, who works cleaning houses. "I don't know if it's because he's
such a brute in his speeches or that he isn't careful in what he's saying, but he's very nasty toward
Hispanics."
Her sister, Gladys Ceballos of Hollywood, Florida, agreed. She's trying for the second time to become a
citizen after failing to pass the English exam. She says she's not fearful of Trump, but she doesn't trust
him.
John Haughton, 66, a Jamaican immigrant, said: "Trump is a man who would say one thing today and
may modify his views tomorrow."
"I want my voice heard," said Haughton, a legal permanent resident since 2008.
Seung Baik, 43, who was born in South Korea and brought to the U.S. as a teenager, said he too believes
Trump is too divisive.
"It took me a little longer to become a citizen because I didn't want to apply and treat this as a
membership to something, like joining a club," said Baik, a church pastor. "The world and this nation are
changing, and my vote matters."
Baik said he won't be registering as a Democrat or Republican but remains independent. He's undecided
about whom he will vote for in his first presidential election as a U.S. citizen, but "it won't be Donald
Trump."
Trump trouncing in Calif. by 34 points: Poll
USA TODAY // DONOVAN SLACK
Donald Trump is leading Ted Cruz by a whopping 34 percentage points 54%-20% among likely
Republican voters in California, a SurveyUSA poll for KUSA found.
Thats a significant gain for the Republican frontrunner, whose lead was only 8 percentage points in the
last SurveyUSA poll a month ago. And its a significant loss for Cruz. The two were 40%-32% last
month.
California, which holds its primary June 7, is the most delegate-rich state on the Republican primary
calendar with 172 at stake for GOP hopefuls.
That makes Indiana, which will award 57 delegates after its primary Tuesday, all that much more
important for Cruz if he wants to stop Trump from reaching the 1,237 delegates he needs to clinch the
nomination. In the most recent poll, though, he is trailing by 15 percentage points in the Hoosier State.
On the Democratic side, the SurveyUSA poll gives Hillary Clinton a 57%-38% lead over Bernie Sanders
in California. In general election match-ups, she beats Trump 56%-34% and Cruz 57%-29%. California
has not sided with a Republican for president since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
SurveyUSA polled 2,011 registered voters in California from April 27 to April 30.

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Rising confidence in California's economy is a challenge for GOP presidential candidates

LA TIMES // CATHLEEN DECKER
The Republican candidates for president have campaigned all over the country lamenting the rough
recovery from the recession and condemning President Obama and by extension Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton as failures when it comes to jobs and the nation's well-being.
Then they come to California, where the state's unemployment rate is 5.4%, more than eight percentage
points below what it was when Democrat Jerry Brown took over from a Republican governor less than
six years ago.
At the weekend state Republican convention, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tied himself in rhetorical knots when
he tailored his pitch to California.
"Y'all are a hardy bunch," he told Republican delegates. "You are used to adversity and you have seen
the absolute disaster, the absolute train wreck that is out-of-control liberalism."
But a few minutes later, he doubled back to deliver a backhanded acknowledgment of the state's rising
economy.
"That's the mighty California spirit that built this state into such an incredible economic engine that you
have survived and thrived in the face of Democratic mismanagement year after year after year," he said.

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It's a basic rule of politics: Economic booms are often the result of outside forces, like a national
upswing, but they accrue to the advantage of the incumbent party, just as economic downturns hurt the
party in power. One of the challenges facing Republicans this year as they seek to regain the White
House is increasing confidence in the recovery nationally and in places such as California.
The recovery has been spotty enough that economic troubles remain. The loss of manufacturing jobs and
stagnant wages have been prime topics in the Republican and the Democratic presidential contests this
year. But in California, the notable improvement has forced the Republican pitch onto more nuanced and
less politically potent ground: Things are OK, but they could be better.
As new voters equate better economic times with Democratic rule, the GOP's efforts to rebuild here
become even more difficult.
To be sure, GOP candidates have a somewhat easier time convincing their own voters of the need for
improvement. Republican voters are far more sour on the economy than Democrats, a fact that rests on
their views of government and taxes and their powerfully partisan sentiments.
"This is how hyper-partisan and polarized we've become," said Dan Schnur, director of USC's Jesse M.
Unruh Institute of Politics. "It used to be that voters based their political allegiances on real-world
experience. Now they view the real world through the lens of their partisan allegiances.
"Just as there were many Democrats who refused to accept any positive outcome if George Bush or
Ronald Reagan had anything to do with it, these Republicans simply can't handle the idea that the
economy has improved under Obama and Brown."
An April Field Poll found that California voters, by 52% to 42%, felt that the state was going in the right
direction. When Brown took over for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, only 10% felt that the state was
going in the right direction.
Underneath the current numbers was the sharp partisan divide. Among Democrats, 71% felt the state
was doing well. But among Republicans, only 21% did. Nonpartisan voters, the much-sought-after and
growing electorate group, were closer to Democrats at 54%.
The state is still in the throes of recovery, another April Field Poll made clear. Asked whether the
economy was enjoying good times or bad, 46% said bad, to 39% for good. Although not upbeat on its
face, the finding represented the fourth straight year in which the percentage saying times were good had
grown and the negative percentage had dropped. In 2010, the year Brown was elected, 93% of
California voters said the state was experiencing bad times.
Those numbers, too, have a partisan tilt, but state job figures show improvement even in strongly
Republican areas. In Orange County, the state's most populous Republican area, the jobless rate in
March was 4%, down from 9.1% when Brown took over. In Kern County, a GOP stronghold, it dropped
from 16% to 11.6% despite job losses because of the drought.

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Even in the tiny farm town of Mendota, signs of improvement are evident. In her 2010 race for the U.S.
Senate, Republican Carly Fiorina dared incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer to meet her in Mendota,
whose unemployment rate was approaching 50%. Fiorina blamed environmental measures backed by
Boxer.
Fiorina raised the town's woes again this weekend at the state GOP convention. Yet while Mendota
continues to have problems, its circumstances have changed: the jobless rate in March was 20.6%.
Republicans point to difficulties that transcend the jobless rate: taxes, regulations, even the troubled
schools.
Mariam Noujain of Placerville attended the convention as a guest. The 62-year-old DMV employee said
she's supporting Republican presidential front-runner and businessman Donald Trump in part because
"America was built on business; it wasn't built on government."
She used to own a cafe in Sacramento that sold sandwiches and juices, but closed it in 1999 because of
the onerous burdens posed by government. She said: "The regulations kill you."
California, she said, "should be booming.... OK, we're not underwater. We could do so much better if the
private sector could flourish."
Claire Chiara, 21, a delegate from Berkeley and a candidate for state Assembly, said that "some very
minor changes" have been made in Sacramento in recent years, but "at the end of the day, we have
issues."
"Even in the face of oppressive government systems that Republicans don't like," she said, "I think
California still finds a way to thrive."

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