KQED turns to Furman’s Vinson for insights on California governor’s race

The field is large for California’s governor’s race. Barring celebrity picks, the race to the governor’s seat has traditionally included those who’ve previously been elected to statewide public service roles. That’s not the case these days, says Furman University’s Danielle Vinson, a politics and international affairs professor.

The typical steppingstones to the office are side-stepped by those who make a name for themselves in the national media, she tells public radio station KQED (San Francisco). Current democratic frontrunners in the California gubernatorial contest have never been elected to a state office, while statewide officeholders are lagging in the polls. Vinson says voters are increasingly relying on national and social media rather than local sources to inform their voting intentions and behaviors.