Elections 2012: Democrats vs. Republicans

President

Democrat: Barack Obama

Incumbency Status: Incumbent
Political views:

• Pro-choice
• Seeks investment in renewable energy
• Supports same-sex marriage
• Supports tax increases on the wealthy

President Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president, is seeking re-election. The Democratic candidate is a former attorney, author, professor and president of the Harvard Law Review, and was the 2009 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Notable acts during his presidency include passing health care reform, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and an economic stimulus package, repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Act, ending the Iraq war and publicly endorsing same-sex marriage.

The president’s health care reform, which passed in June, plays a large part in his campaign this year. If re-elected, he plans to institute policies that will charge both men and women the same for insurance coverage. Obama has said he intends to invest in the middle-class and plans to expand the job market by investing in the manufactoring sector and the auto industry. In terms of education, Obama has said he will continue supporting tax credits for students.

Republican: Mitt Romney

Incumbency Status: Non-incumbent
Political Views:

• Pro-life
• Supports tax cuts for the wealthy
• Against same-sex marriage
• Anti- government spending

Mitt Romney is running as the Republican candidate for president of the United States. He served as the governor of Massachusetts from 2002 to 2006 and has based his campaign on his experience in the business and private sectors, after co-founding and serving other roles with the private equity consulting firm Bain Capital.

Among Romney’s proposed policies is a five-point plan focuses on energy independence, the creation of new markets for American goods and services, programs that tackle unemployment, deficit reduction and support for small businesses. He has also emphasized his support for a reduction in federal spending for programs such as Medicaid. Romney supports repeal of the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” and has said he will allow states to craft their own health care reform plans if elected. Romney also plans to simplify the financial aid system and encourage private sector participation in higher education.

Senate

Democrat: Dianne Feinstein
Incumbency Status: Incumbent
Political Views:

• Pro-choice
• Supports gun control
• Supports same-sex marriage
• Supports tax increases on the wealthy
• Supports investment in renewable energy

Dianne Feinstein is seeking re-election as a Senator. She has served as a United States Senator since 1992. She was the mayor of San Francisco for a decade, and served as the director of the Bank of California in the late 1980s. Feinstein is currently Chair of the Senate Committees on Intelligence and Energy and Water Development. During her term, the senator worked to ban assault weapons and to gain passage of the California Desert Protection Act.

Feinstein has made California agriculture and environmental issues a large part of her campaign. She has proposed a plan to restore Lake Tahoe and continue her efforts in protecting California’s Mojave Desert. The senator has also said she will continue working to secure federal funding for California agriculture, including money for specialty crop farmers. Immigration reform and cybersecurity are also issues Feinstein had said she hopes to tackle if re-elected. In terms of education, Feinstein has said she will continue working to secure Title I funding for Californian low-income schools.

Republican: Elizabeth Emken
Incumbency Status: Non-incumbent
Political Views:

• Pro-life
• Opposes Obama’s health care reform policy
• Against same-sex marriage
• Against government spending
• Supports increased forces in Afghanistan

Elizabeth Emken is running for her first term in United States Congress. The UCLA alumna ran as a candidate for California representative to Congress in 2010, but lost. Emken worked as a financial analyst at International Business Machines. She is known for her extensive work with autism and has been the vice president of Government Relations with Autism Speaks and a legislative consultant for Cure Autism Now.

Emken has based much of her senatorial campaign on economic reform. She has proposed tax reform, including reducing the corporate tax rate and the adoption of a territorial tax system that would exempt most foreign income from taxes when they are repatriated. The Republican candidate has also called for a significant reduction in federal spending on Congressional programs and agencies.

Representative

Democrat: Henry Waxman
Incumbency status: Incumbent
Political views:

• Advocates against climate change
• Supports universal health care
• Supports same-sex marriage

Henry Waxman is seeking re-election as the Congressional Representative of the recently redistricted 33rd District, which encompasses Westwood and other parts of Los Angeles County. He served three terms in the California State Assembly before being elected to Congress. The UCLA alum is the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. During his career, he helped craft the government’s first comprehensive bill on AIDS, authored the Clean Air Act in 1990, and spearheaded legislation ranging from tobacco regulation to clean air.

The incumbent has focused on health and the environment ““ two issues that have characterized his political career ““ in this year’s campaign. Waxman has said he will fight to advance legislation around global climate change. He continues to support the Affordable Care Act and has denounced Republicans for proposing to repeal the recent health care act. The Democrat has conducted investigations into the Iraq War, and has pledged his ongoing support to have soldiers return from Iraq.

Independent: Bill Bloomfield
Incumbency status: Non-incumbent
Political views:

• Anti-government spending
• Supports energy independence
• Supports same-sex marriage

Bill Bloomfield is running for Congressional Representative of the recently redistricted 33rd District, which encompasses Westwood and other parts of Los Angeles county. Bloomfield has served as president and CEO of Web Service Company, a commercial laundry equipment operator, and founded Web.com, an internet hosting company. He has founded a number of organizations, including a group dedicated to improving women’s maternal health in Ethiopia and a program that offers rewards for information about gang-related homicides in Santa Ana.

The Independent candidate’s campaign largely focuses on economic change. Bloomfield has proposed tax reform, including reducing payroll taxes and making them apply to all incomes, and calls for lowering the nation’s deficit, in part by reducing Congress’ budget. He has also proposed changes to the nation’s education system. Among his educational reforms are establishing an accountability system for public schools and creating a system for evaluating teachers.

Assembly

Democrat: Holly Mitchell
Incumbency status: Incumbent
Political views:

• Supports environment initiatives
• Supports Obama’s health care reform policy

Holly Mitchell is seeking re-election of the 54th District of the California State Assembly. Prior to being elected to the Assembly, she was the CEO of Crystal Stairs, a Californian child care agency, and worked in the Los Angeles district of state Senator Diane Watson. She has worked in the non-profit sector, where she focused on statewide family policymaking, and has served as the executive director of the Black Women’s Health Project in Los Angeles

Mitchell has said she will work to bring in new California jobs, including “green jobs” in the 54th District and “living wage” jobs. She has said she will continue implementing federal health reform for Californians, and will help with the construction of a new hospital in Los Angeles. The incumbent has also said she supports bond measures to fund upgrades to local school infrastructures.

Republican: Keith McCowan
Incumbency status: Non-incumbent
Political views:

• Anti-government spending
• Education reform

Keith McCowen is running for the 54th District in the California State Assembly. He has worked for nearly 15 years as a professional transportation operator for Culver City, where he is a member of the employee association and the City’s Accident Review Board. He is involved with the Los Angeles community, and was a member of the LA Gang G.R.I.D. Committee, where he partnered up counseling applicants with at-risk city youth.

McCowen supports reducing government regulation of a number of state programs, including reforming Californian regulatory agencies. In terms of education, he has proposed reducing state control of education and giving it to local authorities, and has called for funding to help businesses offer more post-college apprenticeships. The candidate has also said he will work to bring more jobs into California.