Front page of the CA section of today’s LA Times.  What’s interesting is that there are two potentially viable reform candidates in the race, Derek Cressman (running as a Democrat, and formerly of Common Cause) and Dan Schnur (of USC’s Jesse Unruh Institute, formerly a Republican but running as a “no party preference” candidate).  Further, the Green Party candidate David Curtis is making modification of the two-two primary, because it makes it harder for third party or independent candidates to run, one of his main issues.

This is the first statewide race under top-two where things seem open to a third party or non-party candidate. Nonetheless, party id still matters a lot under top two, as may name recognition. The new Field Poll has Republican Pete Peterson leading with 30% followed by Democrat Alex Padilla with 17%. Part of the issue is that this is a low salience race and the party preference on the general election ballot could make a difference.