California's Generic Governor's Race and the End of Local Politics

California's Generic Governor's Race and the End of Local Politics

From Talk Cocktail by Jeff Schechtman

May 30, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

Joe Mathews joins Jeff Schechtman to discuss the disconnect in California's governor's race from local politics and the influence of national issues.

With just days to go before the June 2 California primary, J oe Mathews joins me on the California Sun podcast to examine how California’s race for governor has become strangely disconnected from the state itself and what it says about local politics everywhere. With almost all the campaigns built around generic national talking points and anti-Trump messaging, Mathews explores the growing nationalization of state politics, and why the actual mechanics of governing barely seem to be part of the conversation. Get full access to Talk Cocktail Podcast at jeffschechtman.substack.com/subscribe

People in this episode

Host: Jeff Schechtman

Guest: Joe Mathews

Topics covered

  • California governor's race
  • local politics
  • nationalization of state politics
  • anti-Trump messaging
  • campaign strategies

Keywords

  • California
  • governor's race
  • local politics
  • national politics
  • campaigns
  • anti-Trump
  • June primary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: California Sun, Talk Cocktail Podcast

Places: California

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