California stuck in Dem-GOP binary

“If people just vote for an R or D then all of our conversations are a waste of time.”

Robert Howell, the Republican candidate for California insurance commissioner, shared that somewhat fatalistic sentiment — that voters cast ballots for candidates simply based on the letter designating their party affiliation — in a Los Angeles Times interview published Monday.

But, in the same interview, Howell appeared to reaffirm the very concept he was denouncing: He said he decided to run for insurance commissioner against Democratic incumbent Ricardo Lara because there initially weren’t any other Republicans in...