A jogger on The Stand, a beachfront walkway, passes a directional sign to a polling place in a Lifeguard Station at sunrise during the U.S. presidential election on November 6, 2012 in the Los Angeles area community of Hermosa Beach, California. Credit: David McNew/Getty Images
With 55 electoral already conceded by the Republicans, California isn’t exactly a state that is up for grabs, in fact no Republican has carried it since George H.W. Bush in 1988.
So when President Obama and Mitt Romney visit the golden state it’s for our money, not for our votes. As of yesterday the two candidates and their running mates had made a record 83 trips to Ohio, a battleground state with 18 electoral votes at stake. Living in a state that is decided long before election day has some advantages and disadvantages; it depends on how you look at it. On one hand, we are not overwhelmed by constant mudslinging up to election day. But we also miss out on all of those high energy rallies that you see on television, and the great performances by Kid Rock or Bruce Springsteen. We also miss the more colorful of the television campaign ads. But imagine what 83 visits from presidential campaigns would do for the traffic in Southern California.
Since California is already decided, do you feel left out? Do you wish our state was more competitive? How do you feel about the candidates coming here, but not wasting any time with public rallies?
As a non-swing state resident, do you feel left out of the presidential campaigns? Guests:Ruxandra Guidi, KPCC reporter, reporting from a polling location in a Coldwell Banker realty office in downtown Alhambra
David Mark, editor-in-chief, Politix
Henry Gomez, politics writer, The Plain Dealer