Ventura County Star Stories: National

McClintock opponent concedes House race

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0000

WASHINGTON — Democrat Charlie Brown conceded defeat to Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock on Wednesday in their hard-fought race for California's 4th Congressional District House seat.

Next security head has bipartisan tone

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

WASHINGTON — In late summer 1979 a Marine named James L. Jones arrived on Capitol Hill for a new assignment as advocate for Marine programs in the Senate. His boss was a Navy officer and fellow Vietnam vet who showed Jones the political ropes and became a lifelong friend — John McCain

Stevens concedes in Alaska Senate race

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens conceded defeat Wednesday in a re-election bid shadowed by his federal felony conviction, a bitter end to a four-decade career in which he held a commanding place in state politics and on some of the most influential congressional committees in Washington.

Obama won 54.9% of vote in the county

tbiasotti@venturacountystar.com (Tony Biasotti) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

Just as he did across the nation, President-elect Barack Obama won in Ventura County on Tuesday by turning red areas blue.

Obama won 54.9 percent of the county's vote, well above Sen. John McCain's 43 percent, according to the latest results. They are still far from complete; thousands of provisional and absentee ballots, representing more than 20 percent of the total county vote, remain uncounted.

Obama appears even stronger after a look at the electoral map, based on data released Thursday by the Ventura County Elections Division.

Obama's pick of Emanuel debated

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

Barack Obama is signaling a shift in tactics and temperament as he moves from candidate to president-elect, picking sharp- elbowed Washington insiders for top posts.

Obama's victory met with tears and traffic jams

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:01:00 -0000

They danced in the streets, wept, lifted their voices in prayer and brought traffic to a standstill. From the nation's capital to Los Angeles, Americans celebrated Barack Obama's victory and marveled that they lived to see the day that a black man was elected president.

Jubilation stretched into the early morning Wednesday in Washington, D.C., and a large crowd paraded on Pennsylvania Avenue with drums, balloons and a life-size cutout of Obama.

Obama turns to task of building administration

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:01:00 -0000

President-elect Barack Obama chose Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel to be his White House chief of staff, his first selection for the new administration, Democratic officials said Wednesday.

If Emanuel accepts, he would return to the White House where he served as a political and policy adviser to President Clinton.

Incumbents stress cooperation Need to work together pushed

michael.collins@shns.com (Michael Collins) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

WASHINGTON — One day after voters returned them to Congress, Reps. Lois Capps and Elton Gallegly said Wednesday that Democrats and Republicans will have to work together if lawmakers are going to solve the nation's problems.

Democrats in Congress are wary of overreaching

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama is facing a Congress with bulked-up Democratic majorities in the House and Senate to put much of his agenda into law.

Dems broaden control of Congress

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:49:00 -0000

Democrats broadened their control of Congress in Tuesday’s elections, though in the Senate they fell short of the 60 votes needed for a filibuster-proof majority that would have given them almost unbridled power over legislation.

Democrats head for bigger House majority

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:51:00 -0000

Democrats have unseated Republican House incumbents in Florida, Connecticut and North Carolina and captured three other GOP seats in New York and Illinois as they push toward big gains in their majority.

Exit polls: Obama gets women, minority voters

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0000

Barack Obama was winning handily among women, blacks and Hispanics, while whites supported John McCain, according to preliminary exit polls. Obama also was the overwhelming choice of the one in 10 voters who went to the polls for their first time Tuesday a racially diverse group of mostly twentysomethings, half of whom call themselves Democrats.

Obama wins presidency

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:14:00 -0000

His name etched in history as America's first black president, Barack Obama turned from the jubilation of victory to the sobering challenge of leading a nation worried about economic crisis, two unfinished wars and global uncertainty.

Survey: Economy top concern for voters

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:21:00 -0000

The economy is by far the top issue on voters' minds as Election Day at last arrives.

Democrats eye possible gains in Sacramento

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:01:00 -0000

California Democrats hoped to do something Tuesday they haven't in decades — gain a two-thirds majority in the state Assembly, giving them control over the state budget and any tax proposals.

Want live election updates? Follow along on Twitter

abruce@venturacountystar.com (Allison Bruce) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

Want constant local updates on this year's election? Try Twitter. Starting today, The Star will equip its reporters and editors with a Twitter account for short live updates throughout the day and as election results start to roll in.

Obama's grandmother dies before election

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

Barack Obama's grandmother, whose personality and bearing shaped much of the life of the Democratic presidential contender, has died, Obama announced Monday, one day before the election. Madelyn Payne Dunham was 86.

Election, level of interest both historic

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

The 2008 presidential campaign races to a close today with voters more active, engaged and enthused than at any time since at least the social ferment of the 1960s, sparking enormous excitement but also presenting the risk that polling places will be overwhelmed.

A guide for election-watchers

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

Election watchers won't have to wait for polls to close in the West to know how things are going. The first clues will come early, when voting ends in Georgia, Indiana and Virginia. California polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today.

New report clears Palin in Troopergate

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0000

A new report released Monday— hours before the polls open on Election Day — exonerates Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the Troopergate controversy. The state Personnel Board-sanctioned investigation is the second into whether Palin violated state ethics law in firing her public safety commissioner, and it contradicts the earlier findings by a special counsel hired by the state Legislature.