The Tanaka Campaign:
A Study of Challenging Incumbency and Utilizing Local Politics
On June 7, 2022, the California Primary Elections took place to build a ticket for a number of general elections taking place in November. These elections include races for governor, city mayors, House of Representative seats, and Controller. In studying a single campaign, there is an opportunity to dig into a California election. This paper will examine the race of Greg Tanaka, focusing on history, data, messaging, and organization.
Greg Tanaka is a Los Angeles native and Caltech alumni who ran for Congress as a Democrat in California District 16. According to his website, Tanaka has nearly 15 years of experience in local politics and at least seven years of experience in the business and technology industries. Tanaka was first elected to Palo Alto City Council in 2016 and was reelected in 2020. Tanaka advocates for business-friendly legislation, and promotes himself as a representative of Silicon Valley, looking to aid restoration in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic According to his campaign website, Tanaka’s priorities focus on justice, the environment, and the economy (Greg Tanaka).
2013 American States:
Graduation Rates, Unemployment Rates, and Party Affiliation
The United States federal government yields power to the states in a multitude of ways, many of which result in differing success levels. Many factors contribute to a state’s success, including party affiliation, and thus the government’s ability to make decisions and compromises, as well as the financial situations of the people within a state. Success might also be related to location, as some states in similar parts of the country often have similar success. One measure of success is graduation rates, which reports the amount of people who drop out of high school, often for reasons related to a failure of government support. This report seeks to understand which factors contribute to higher graduation rates, by investigating the relationships between geography, unemployment rates, party unification, and graduation rates.