Free Republic

Assembly seat at stake under 'top-two' rulesToday could be the day California's new "top-two" primary system really gets its first test.Voters in the 4th Assembly District – covering Alpine County and parts of Placer, El Dorado and Sacramento counties – head to the polls in a special election to replace Republican Ted Gaines, who advanced to the Senate in January. Eight candidates, seven of them Republican, are on the ballot. The district is heavily Republican. Under the new rules, the top two finishers – regardless of party affiliation – will advance to a runoff unless one candidate wins a majority...

Roseville Assemblyman Ted Gaines announced today he is forming an exploratory committee to plot a run a for the congressional seat of embattled Rep. John Doolittle, declaring that voters have "lost faith" in Doolittle and that he can't win re-election. "What I want the voters to know is that I'm putting the name forward...And I think change should occur," Gaines said in a meeting with The Bee Capitol Bureau. He added that he would be "a viable candidate" if he enters the race. In a statement later, Doolittle responded, "Ted Gaines is sadly mistaken. After spending the last month talking...