The Desert Sun Elections & Politics Section

LOCAL /
Local Elections

Local lawmaker reactions to budget proposal fall on party lines

Republican Reps. Mary Bono Mack and Jerry Lewis characterized President Barack Obama's 2013 budget proposal Monday as more red ink for a government already dangerously in debt, while Sen. Barbara Boxer praised it as cutting waste and making millionaires pay “their fair share.”

Feb. 13, 2012

LOCAL /
Local Elections

Rick Santorum makes surprise appearance at Indian Wells fundraiser

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, surging in national political polls in the Republican presidential primary race, made a surprise appearance at the annual fundraiser for the Sacred Heart Church and School on Saturday night in Indian Wells.

Feb. 12, 2012

LOCAL /
Local Elections

John Henry is Riverside County prosecutor and a candidate for Riverside County Superior Court. provided photo

Unions join forces in attempt to unseat Riverside County judge

Riverside County's top law enforcement unions are aggressively targeting a sitting Superior Court judge for defeat, campaigning for a prosecutor who they want to take his place.

Feb. 12, 2012

LOCAL /
Local Elections

Political Insider: In search of the best school board candidates

With 10 school board seats on the November ballot, a teachers union and other education stakeholders are looking for candidates who would be friendly to their causes.

Feb. 12, 2012

LOCAL /
Elections & Politics

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, surging in national political pools in the Republican presidential primary race, made a surprise appearance at the annual fundraiser for the Sacred Heart Church and School Saturday night in Indian Wells. Desert Sun wires

Santorum stops in Indian Wells tonight, appearance causes surprise

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, surging in national political polls in the Republican presidential primary race, made a surprise appearance at the annual fundraiser for the Sacred Heart Church and School Saturday night in Indian Wells.

Feb. 11, 2012

LOCAL /
Local Elections

Birth control policy changed, but some reluctant to let go of issue

Under fierce election-year fire, President Barack Obama on Friday abruptly abandoned his stand that religious organizations must pay for birth control for workers, scrambling to end a furor raging from the Catholic Church to Congress to his re-election foes.

Feb. 11, 2012

LOCAL /
Local Elections

Democratic congressional candidate Raul Ruiz issued an appeal for what he calls “a transformation of consciousness” at the Coachella Senior Center on Thursday. Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun

Raul Ruiz touts social responsibility in talk

Democratic congressional candidate Raul Ruiz on Thursday told east valley residents that the country needs to tackle polarizing issues such as immigration reform by emphasizing social responsibility over personal success.

Feb. 9, 2012

LOCAL /
Local Elections

Ruiz talks immigration, Social Security

Speaking to seniors in Coachella today, Democratic congressional candidate Raul Ruiz said it was time to rethink how the country is framing key policy debates such as immigration reform.

Feb. 9, 2012

LOCAL /
Elections & Politics

Kara Haney, left, and her partner of 8 years Kate Wertin, right, embrace in the Lobby Bar in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood as the Washington State Senate passes a bill that would legalize gay marriage in Washington State on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Dozens gathered at the bar to watch the debate via TV on the senate floor. The Associated Press

Washington state lawmakers approve gay marriage

Washington state lawmakers voted to approve gay marriage Wednesday, setting the stage for the state to become the seventh in the nation to allow same-sex couples to wed.

Feb. 8, 2012

LOCAL /
Elections & Politics

Committee person Logan MacMillian (left) checks in Naomi Grobe as she arrives to vote in Colorado's Republican caucus at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., on Tuesday. Ed Andrieski/The Associated Press

Rick Santorum's 3-state sweep shakes up the GOP presidential race

A resurgent Rick Santorum won Minnesota's Republican presidential caucuses with ease Tuesday night and was declared the victor in Colorado as well, a stunning sweep that raised fresh questions about front-runner Mitt Romney's appeal among the ardent conservatives at the core of the party's political base.

Feb. 8, 2012

LOCAL /
Elections & Politics

Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum greets supporters after speaking at a primary night watch party Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, in St. Charles, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Santorum wins Minnesota and Missouri, shakes up GOP presidential race

WASHINGTON — Rick Santorum seized an important opportunity Tuesday to become the chief conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, as he won Republican presidential contests in Missouri and Minnesota and delivered a strong showing in Colorado.