Republicans in California are crying foul over a new law that requires gubernatorial and presidential candidates to disclose tax returns in order to appear on 2020 primary ballots — worried about voter turnout implications for their party in numerous races, even though the law is largely aimed at President Trump.
The Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act – signed in late July by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom – was an obvious bid to compel Trump to make public his financial records if he wants his name on the ballot. But the president is unlikely to cave to the law’s provisos given his previous resistance to making tax returns public.
CALIFORNIA GOV. NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP INCOMPETENT IN INAUGURAL SPEECH; VOWS TO FIGHT WH POLICIES
Republican leaders in the Golden State, however, argue that if the law actually keeps Trump off the March primary ballot, it would all but assure a depressed Republican turnout statewide — hurting down-ballot candidates in congressional and other races and locking many out of the general election due to the state’s unique primary system.
“We’re not talking about keeping President Trump off the ballot in the general election,” Jessica Patterson, the California Republican Party chairwoman, told Fox News. “But what this will do is make sure that Republican voters stay home for the primaries and give Democrats a big opportunity when it comes to the general election.”
Here’s why: Under California’s so-called jungle primary system, all candidates, regardless of party, vie for the same elected office and the top two vote-getters move on to the general election. Since it was implemented in California in 2010, this system has often ensured a Democrat-on-Democrat general election battle in all but California’s most conservative areas. Depressed GOP turnout in 2020 could mean even fewer Republicans move on to the general election. – READ MORE