From an LGBTQ+ rally to Trunk or Treat, Becerra and Hilton barnstorm California hoping to be next governor
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Becerra → barnstorm → California
Donning a creepy mask of Democratic rival Xavier Becerra, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton dashed around a children’s Halloween event dishing out candy and warnings about potential liberal tax policies.
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Hilton → don → policies
“Vote for Becerra, and your parents will have to pay every mile they drive.
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they → vote → mile
Isn’t that great?” Hilton sarcastically said at a Trunk or Treat gathering Saturday in Highland Park.
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Hilton → say → Park
“These children are very pricey because if their parents vote for Becerra, they will be taxed every mile they drive.
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they → vote → Becerra
Becerra was not spooked when he heard of Hilton’s get-up and put-down.
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he → spook → up
“I suspect, if he takes off that mask, you’ll see Donald Trump right underneath,” Becerra, a former congressman, state attorney general and member of President Biden’s Cabinet, said at a campaign event in Sacramento on Saturday.
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Becerra → suspect → Saturday
“That’s who he really is.
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he → ’ → ?
Either that or he’s a clown.”
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he → ’ → ?
With Tuesday’s election barreling toward them, Becerra and Hilton traded barbs and did their the best to gin up support as they crisscrossed California in what has been a relatively sedate race to succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom, who is wrapping up his final term as governor.
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who → barrel → governor
Recent polls show Becerra leading Hilton by at least 20 percentage points, which is not a surprise in a state where Democratic voters vastly outnumber Republicans and GOP candidates last won a statewide election two decades ago.
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candidates → show → election
Becerra has spent the waning days of the campaign stumping for Democrats in competitive House races in the Central Valley and Southern California.
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Becerra → spend → Valley
Party leaders are trying to capitalize on broad anti-Trump sentiment to juice the state’s liberal electorate and win House seats that were redrawn to favor Democrats, including a Sacramento-area seat currently held by Republican-turned-independent Rep. Kevin Kiley.
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that → try → Republican
“We’re not just gonna take back these seats in California.
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We → go → California
We’re gonna take back the House and the Senate,” Becerra told costumed and cheering volunteers during a quick Saturday stop in support of Richard Pan, the Democrat challenging Kiley.
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Becerra → go → Kiley
Trump, Becerra said, wants to “destroy democracy.
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Becerra → say → democracy
That’s why we’re getting out to vote.”
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we → ’ → ?
California’s high cost of living was among the top concerns of California voters this election, but that was recently eclipsed by fears about Trump’s policies and their desire for a governor to fight back against his administration.
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governor → eclipse → administration
“Everything the Trump administration has done so far is something I disagree with,” 19-year-old Arthur Galvan said after Becerra spoke at Pan’s campaign headquarters.
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Becerra → do → headquarters
But the UC Davis sophomore said his top priorities are education and one day being able to afford a home, even in Lincoln, the semi-rural and fast-growing town he grew up in.
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he → say → Lincoln
“Compared to the rest of the state, housing over there is slightly cheaper.
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housing → compare → state
But even still, that’s not attainable,” Galvan said.
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Galvan → ’ → ?
“I don’t think that there’s many easy ways to go about this but it’s something that we have to look into.”
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we → think → that
Asked about his support for a proposed mileage tax — which would require drivers to pay a fee based on the total number of miles driven in a period of time — Becerra said he is considering all options to maintain road funding as more Californians adopt electric vehicles and stop paying the gas tax.
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Californians → ask → tax
“We need to pay for our roads and our bridges and our highways.
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We → need → roads
We need to pay for mass transit.
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We → need → transit
You can’t do it if you don’t have the money,” he said.
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he → do → money
“I’m not gonna say exactly how it will be, because that’s work we have to do with the Legislature, and with every community having a chance to speak up.”
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community → go → chance
Hilton, a former Fox News commentator and political advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron, has embraced his underdog status.
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Hilton → embrace → status
The quick-witted Republican has pinballed from California’s deeply-red northern territories to Democratic strongholds in San Francisco and L.A., generating enough heat to remain in the spotlight but not enough to catch fire.
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Republican → pinballe → fire
He has promised to lower gas prices to $3 per gallon, and on Thursday held a $3-a-gallon fill-up event in the San Joaquin Valley.
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He → promise → Valley
Hilton also vowed eliminate state taxes on workers’ first $150,000 of income, scuttle the behind-schedule, over-budget high-speed rail project and abolish the DMV.
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Hilton → vow → DMV
Though endorsed by Trump, Hilton has framed his campaign around the many ills facing California — including the lack of affordable housing, a persistent and worsening homelessness crisis, entrenched budget deficits and high gas prices — all of which he blames on years of Democratic rule.
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he → endorse → rule
At the Halloween event on Saturday, Hilton asked Italia Sandoval’s 3-year-old daughter Milania if she would prefer candy or a potential mileage tax.
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she → ask → candy
The toddler, understandably confused, opted for candy.
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toddler → opt → candy
Her mother, 31, jumped in, saying that such a levy would mean less story time, field trips and park and library visits for her family’s home-schooled children and further hamper their dreams of one day buying a home.
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levy → jump → home
“Taxes are killing Californians.
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Taxes → kill → Californians
I want to buy my own home.
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I → want → home
Can’t afford it,” said the Huntington Park resident, a registered Republican who become politically engaged after studying theater at Cal State LA.
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who → afford → LA
Federal judges have repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to wrest control over state voting processes and intimidate state and local elections officials.
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judges → reject → officials
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
