Mark Z. Barabak is a political columnist for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on California and the West. He has covered campaigns and elections in 49 of the 50 states, including a dozen presidential contests and scores of mayoral, legislative, gubernatorial and congressional races. He also reported from the White House and Capitol Hill during the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations.
Latest From This Author
Trump’s selection of Vance as his running mate, invocations of God and an unaccustomed attack on ‘corporate elites’ highlight a GOP convention opener that mostly avoids the most incendiary rhetoric.
July 16, 2024
Republicans and Democrats alike have called for a kinder, gentler campaign in the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. But will they really tone it down? And more importantly, should they?
July 15, 2024
The proliferation of guns and incendiary political rhetoric made the shooting at a Trump rally seemingly just a matter of time. Will it change our politics in any way?
July 15, 2024
Is Joe Biden the Democrats’ best hope of beating Donald Trump, or would Vice President Kamala Harris be better? Two Times columnists differ on how to handle the party’s troubles.
July 12, 2024
Odds have improved for a Republican trifecta — winning the White House and both congressional chambers — since Biden’s calamitous debate performance.
July 10, 2024
The California Democrat endorsed Biden twice for president. She says he deserves a chance to show his disastrous debate performance was an anomaly. If he can do so.
July 3, 2024
Candidates across the country are running to counter election denialism and political chicanery at the local level. If Trump prevails, they may offer an important last line of defense.
July 2, 2024
The 90-minute, spite-filled session in Atlanta had an familiar, unhappy feeling. The bombast. The insults. The obvious contempt between two men who couldn’t even bring themselves to shake hands.
June 27, 2024
When Biden and Trump meet Thursday night, nonverbal cues like posture and tone of voice will be key to voters. How will the two men — who plainly loathe one another — behave?
June 26, 2024
UC Davis law professor and historian Mary Ziegler has become one of the country’s leading authorities on the abortion issue. She sees a push-pull between judges, anti-abortion lawmakers and Americans who by and large favor abortion rights.
June 23, 2024