California Dems In Tight House Races Back Tough-On-Crime Ballot Measure That Newsom Opposes

California Democrats in tight House races are backing a crime ballot measure despite Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom strongly opposing the initiative, according to the Los Angeles Times Thursday.

Although Newsom fiercely opposes Proposition 36, which increases penalties for retail and drug crimes, many Democrats in tight House races have thrown their support behind the measure, according to the L.A. Times. Proposition 36 is popular with the majority of Californians, with 73% of voters supporting the measure, according to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll conducted Oct. 7 to Oct. 15.

Newsom said the measure would cause “mass incarceration” and that it was an “insult,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. However, he also said that he does not have the “bandwidth” to actively campaign against the measure, according to the Sacramento Bee Sept. 20.

“I would think that a Republican opponent would love it if a Democratic candidate opposed Prop. 36 because it would make it very easy for them to paint them as soft on crime,” Jared Sichel, political strategist for Republican, conservative and independent candidates in Orange County told the Los Angeles Times. “If you are a Democrat that is opposed to Prop. 36, that will hurt you in November.”

Democratic House candidates who support Proposition 36 include Adam Gray in the 13th Congressional district, Will Rollins in the 41st district, Derek Tran in the 46th district, Rudy Salas in the 22nd district and Joe Kerr in the 40th district, according to the L.A. Times. Most of the races take place in districts with a “healthy mix of Republicans and Democrats,” Sichel told the L.A. Times.