In this edition of Deconstructed, TJ O'Hara chats with Bonnie Siegel, founder of Political Branding Associates. A well-known and respected brand strategist, Bonnie has more than 30 years experience bringing brands to market, dedicating her career to bringing brand strategy to life through consulting and mentoring executives and their teams. The two deconstruct the effects political branding has on campaigning in the digital age.

Check out Bonnie's work here.

And follow her on social media:

Look at the person to your left. Now look at the person to your right. Odds are, at least one of them supports legalizing marijuana, and there's a good chance you probably do too.

According to the latest Gallup poll, 66% of Americans now support legalizing marijuana. That's a new record high in an upward trend of support for marijuana legalization since Gallup began putting the question to survey takers a half century ago.

San Diego, CALIF.- The San Diego City Council voted 8-1 this week to repeal an ordinance that placed regulations on short-term renters using platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway. District Two Councilmember Lorie Zapf was the lone, dissenting vote.

The City Council originally passed the ordinance, 6-3, in July. Those regulations were set to go into effect July 2019.

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - The California Labor Federation, the state’s major labor organization, is abandoning Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar’s campaign to unseat indicted Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter over his ambiguous stand on California’s gasoline tax.

“We made the decision that it’s not a district that California Labor Federation will be engaged in,” federation spokesman Steve Smith said Monday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTELy6PdwvU

Candidates Ed Hernandez and Eleni Kounalakis are vying to become California’s next lieutenant governor. The “lite gov,” in the parlance, chairs the California State Lands Commission and the California Commission for Economic Development, sits on the University of California Board of Regents and California State University Board of Trustees and, most importantly, steps in if the governor cannot serve or leaves the state.

Much of the media's election coverage two weeks out from Election Day is focused on what kind of wave we are seeing -- red or blue -- and how Donald Trump will affect the outcome of the midterms. However, what often gets overlooked are the stories that matter to independent-minded voters.

Here are the top 5 stories in nonpartisan news to start your week:

(IVN) Making a campaign stop in Montana and appearing on stage with Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-MT), President Donald Trump went a step further than endorsing the congressman despite his physical assault on a reporter the night before a special election last year.

To the sound of hoots, cheers, and whistles from the MAGA rally crowd, the president explicitly endorsed Gianforte's assault (for which he was criminally charged) saying: