Seema Mehta is a veteran political writer who is covering the 2024 California Senate race as well as other state and national contests. She previously wrote about the 2020, 2016, 2012 and 2008 presidential campaigns, as well as multiple gubernatorial, Senate, congressional and mayoral races. Mehta was a 2018-19 Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan, where she studied how automation and artificial intelligence are indelibly changing the nation’s identity, policies and politics. The Syracuse University graduate and East Coast native swore when she joined The Times in 1998 that she would only spend a few years on the Left Coast. Many years, a husband, a house and a few cats later, she can’t imagine living somewhere she couldn’t golf year-round.
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With Gov. Newsom’s appointment of Laphonza Butler to temporarily fill Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat, the question becomes: Will Butler run for a full term in 2024?
Oct. 3, 2023
Butler is a Democratic strategist who rose to prominence in the labor movement and previously was an advisor to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
Oct. 1, 2023
During a campaign stop at a Westwood ice cream parlor Friday, former President Trump said he may attend his civil trial that begins Monday in New York that will determine the size of his penalty, as much as $250 million, for overstating the value of assets to get better loan terms.
Sept. 29, 2023
Former President Trump opened California’s Republican Convention with a rambling speech targeting the state and a long list of enemies such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Sept. 29, 2023
In the race for the Republican presidential nomination, California is an afterthought for most. But the state is critical to Trump’s effort to return to the White House.
Sept. 29, 2023
As Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate at the Reagan library made clear, the Republican Party has moved a long way from Reaganism.
Sept. 27, 2023
Critics argue that former President Trump’s success in changing state party rules, including in California, to benefit his candidacy harms voters.
Sept. 21, 2023
Similar lawsuits, arguing that the 14th Amendment disqualifies Donald Trump because of his Jan. 6 role, are expected to be filed across the nation.
Sept. 11, 2023
A UC Berkeley/L.A. Times poll finds Republicans strongly favor Trump in California’s 2024 primary, though voters are concerned about his and Biden’s vulnerabilities.
Sept. 6, 2023
Wealthy millennial entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was the target of a barrage of attacks during Wednesday’s first GOP presidential debate for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Aug. 24, 2023