California Governor: Will It Be Tasha or Blakespear?
Tasha got a head start in the race with Blakespear to take the governor’s mansion by quitting the Encinitas City Council in 2018 and winning the state Assembly District 76 seat. Blakespear was caught by surprise. She didn’t recognize political ambition when she saw it. She was busy gathering marbles to add to her bag of offices, boards and agencies.
Tasha and Blakespear are only three years apart in age (Tasha is older), but if the race gets down and dirty, Tasha has a weight advantage. Both have two kids, Blakespear has a less cumbersome surname – an amalgam – while Tasha’s suffers from length, a hyphen and pronunciation difficulties.
Blakespear’s counter to Tasha’s Assembly seat grab is a run in 2022 for state Senate in District 36. Republican Pat Bates is terming out. Blakespear jumped in early, has a campaign manager, an office address in Sacramento, and has already amassed a substantial war chest. The primary is almost a year away, and the general about a year and a half. So far, there’s barely been a peep from Democrat or Republican opponents of Blakespear.
Tasha handily won reelection in 2020. She’s been busy legislating and, now, raising money for her 2022 campaign. If Blakespear wins the Senate seat, Tasha will already have had four years’ Sacramento experience when Blakespear shows up. Unlike Tasha, Blakespear has a law degree. Many California governors have been lawyers. In politics, that’s probably an advantage.
It’s not impossible for a state Assembly or Senate member to jump from the legislature to the governor’s office, but the trail usually goes through a state executive office like lieutenant governor, secretary of state or attorney general. Of course, there’s the oddball case of Arnold Swarzenegger, who went from Mr. Universe to the governor’s chair with stops in a bunch of movies along the way.
Las Vegas oddsmakers have not yet tagged the Tasha-Blakespear quest for the governorship with percentages, but Encinitas locals are known to be placing private bets.
