Democrats Won Big, but Did Voters Give Them a Mandate? | Jon Fleischman & Steve Maviglio

**Guest** Jon Fleischman, Founder, So, Does It Matter? Steve Maviglio, Democratic Strategist, Forza Communications **Guest Bios** Jon Fleischman is one of the best-known Republican voices in California politics, with more than 35 years in campaigns. A former executive director of the California Republican Party, he founded FlashReport and now publishes the Substack and podcast So Does It Matter? His analysis has appeared on Fox News, CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS. This fall he wrote a guide to all 14 statewide propositions on the November ballot and previewed them on State of Gold before the vote. Steve Maviglio is one of the most experienced Democratic communicators in Sacramento. He was press secretary and communications director to Governor Gray Davis from 1999 to 2003, then deputy chief of staff to Assembly Speakers Fabian Núñez and Karen Bass. Today he is principal of Forza Communications, a Sacramento public affairs and campaign firm, and has managed or consulted on more than 25 statewide and local campaigns. Campaigns & Elections named him one of the most influential campaign strategists in California. **Show Summary** “The tsunami washed right over the Rockies and right into California,” says Jon Fleischman. In this episode of *State of Gold*, host Jon Slavet sits down with Republican Jon Fleischman and Democratic strategist Steve Maviglio after the November 3 midterms, to sort through what the Democratic wave means for Washington and Sacramento. Maviglio says the vote was less about Trump’s policies than their impact on daily life, pointing to gas prices, groceries and a Latino shift toward Democrats of 20 to 25 points. Fleischman calls it “a referendum on the job that the president is doing” and warns Democrats against reading it as a win for their ideas. He says Republicans lost California’s independent voters, and that with Gavin Newsom gone, no one in Sacramento will ask “show me the math.” Maviglio expects Governor-elect Xavier Becerra to focus on health care and the budget, and calls him “Jerry Brown meets Gray Davis.” The conversation moves to the 14 propositions. With the count still going, Fleischman says voters backed the Prop 1 housing bond and the Prop 3 tax on high earners but turned down Prop 40, the billionaire tax, after one side spent hundreds of millions and the other almost nothing. Maviglio agrees money talks, and says a national billionaire tax will be front and center for Democrats in 2028. On Nithya Raman’s win over Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, Maviglio calls it a referendum on Bass, while Fleischman warns Raman not to assume a mandate. Looking ahead, Maviglio sees a solid blue California; Fleischman predicts more wealth-creating people “fleeing this state.” **Chapters** 00:00 – Cold Open: A Referendum on the President 00:25 – Welcome: Jon Fleischman and Steve Maviglio on the Midterms 01:03 – Maviglio: Affordability and a 20 to 25 Point Latino Shift 02:13 – Fleischman: A Referendum on the Job the President Is Doing 03:56 – Democrats After the Wave: Center-Left Wins and the Blue Dogs 05:25 – Republicans After the Wave: Vance, Bacon and Cruz React 07:21 – California Results: The Blue Wave Crosses the Rockies 09:40 – Governor-Elect Xavier Becerra: Jerry Brown Meets Gray Davis 11:59 – Ballot Props: Housing Bond, High Earner Tax and Prop 40 15:35 – Billionaire Tax in 2028: Will Democrats Take It National? 16:33 – LA Mayor: Nithya Raman’s Win and the Verdict on Karen Bass 19:14 – Predictions: Where California Goes in the Next Four Years **Connect with Jon Fleischman** X: https://x.com/FlashReport LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-fleischman-0205024/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonFleischman/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jonfleischman **Connect with Steve Maviglio** X: https://x.com/stevenmaviglio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenmaviglio/ Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to our podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and join the conversation on Instagram and LinkedIn with the hashtag #stateofgoldpodcast **Connect with State of Gold** - X: https://x.com/realjonslavet - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stateofgoldpodcast/?hl=en - Website: www.stateofgold.com