2016 primary primer

<style type="text/css"> img.content-image {box-shadow: none;} </style>

Presidential election years are always exciting, but this one is for the record books. The Democratic establishment and Hillary Clinton just can’t shake Bernie Sanders and his legions of devoted followers. The outcome of that race likely will hinge on the whims of about 700 power brokers, the superdelegates. Meanwhile, the GOP has basically imploded. And Donald Trump is the “presumptive” nominee.

The CN&R is trying to keep up with it all, and this week we’re presenting our Primary Issue. Included in the package is a look at the showdown between Clinton and Sanders. For that, we sought input from Bob Mulholland, Chico’s own superdelegate and longtime state Democratic Party adviser. We also shed some light on the 1st District Congressional race, a seven-way contest that includes several Republicans, two of whom run in the same circles. The three Butte County supervisorial districts outside of Chico are all up for grabs, so we check in with those races.

Can’t get enough local politics? Neither can we, apparently. Be sure to read up on the two local medical-marijuana measures on the ballot June 7. Then, flip over to Newslines (page 8) to read about Measure E, the local ballot initiative calling for a ban on fracking.

Last but not least, we would like to urge voters to go to the League of Women Voters of Butte County’s website—www.lwvbuttecounty.org—for additional information, including video coverage of the group’s recent candidates forums. For the state races not covered here, check out the statewide league’s website, www.smartvoter.org. And get to the ballot booth on June 7. (For the CN&R’s endorsements, pick up next week’s issue.)