Election day in California is still 10 weeks away, unless you live in the 31st Assembly District. That's because voters there go to the polls on April 5th in a special election to fill the vacant seat once held by Henry T. Perea. Joining us on Valley Edition to talk about the race between Republican Clint Olivier and Democrats Joaquin Arambula and Ted Miller is John Ellis of The Fresno Bee. Among our topics:
- Can any candidate win a majority on April 5th and avoid a run off in June, which would take place concurrent with the regular June primary for the same race?
- What sort of turnout can we expect for the special election, and who stands to benefit?
- Can Republicans capture the seat which has been held by Democrats since the 1970's?
- What does the big spending on both the Arambula and Olivier sides tell us about the race?
- How is Joaquin Arambula performing in his first run for office? And are the attacks coming from both sides playing well with voters?
- Does the winner of the special election gain a significant advantage by becoming the incumbent for the general election?
