In an interview for IVN, Democratic U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez discussed her chances in the competitive race for Barbara Boxer's open U.S. Senate seat.

Sanchez, who currently represents California's 46th Congressional District, remarked on what it would mean to her to be the nation's first Latina senator, the DNC chair's comments on independents voting in primaries, the state of partisanship in Congress, and more.

For the past eight years, President Barack Obama has been the target of unrelenting and vulgar attacks from the right - questioning everything from his office eligibility to his intellect related to the color of his skin. The rhetoric though has had an unintended effect; the GOP brand from New York to San Diego is toxic.

El candidato presidencial republicano Donald Trump ha tomado otra postura populista que muchos republicanos desaprueban. En una plática reciente con el programa Meet the Press de NBC, Trump dijo:

Está más que documentado en los medios de comunicación que Donald Trump y Bernie Sanders, los dos candidatos que se oponen al sistema partidista, han impulsado el interés en las elecciones primarias de 2016 y la asistencia a ellas. Se espera que este fenómeno continúe a California.

La candidatura de Donald Trump en particular, podría tener un gran impacto en la elección del Distrito 52 del Congreso de California, donde el Congresista Incumbente Scott Peters (D) se está enfrentando a 5 candidatos republicanos en la primaria no partidista.

Puede el término “down-ballot” race te resulte familiar en este año electoral. Para quienes no están familiarizados con la política, este término hace referencia a las contiendas locales que aparecen en la parte inferior de la boleta electoral, donde usualmente se enlistan las oficinas en disputa, descendiendo de nacional a local.

¿Por qué es este término tan relevante en 2016?

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has taken another populist stance that many Republicans disagree with. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press recently, Trump said:

Two efforts by the Colorado state legislature to switch from a closed caucus system to a presidential primary died this week due to confusion over what to do with the state's 1.3 million unaffiliated voters.

Disillusionment with Colorado's closed caucus system reached a breaking point during the presidential caucus in March.

You may have heard the term “down-ballot” race this election cycle. For non-politicos this term denotes a contest for a political office that appears in a relatively low position on the electoral ballot, which typically lists contested offices in descending order from national to local.

Why is this term so important in 2016?

It is well documented in the media that the two anti-establishment candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have boosted interest and turnout in the 2016 primary election. Look for this trend to continue in California.

Donald Trump’s candidacy, in particular, may have a major impact in California’s 52nd Congressional District, where incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D) is running against 5 Republicans in the nonpartisan, top-two primary.

Leaders of the Independent Party of Oregon and the Independence Party of Minnesota have reached a "broad strokes" agreement on joining together to form a national coalition of nonpartisan, moderate, and centrist third parties. The parties will convene a national conference or tele-conference this summer to discuss joint nomination of a candidate for president. The group has identified potential third-party partners in multiple states.