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Later today, I will cast my Super Tuesday Virginia primary vote for a Democrat: Joe Biden. Theres a first time for everything.

Some people wont like this decision. Supporters of Bernie Sanders (who, ironically, shouldnt be considered a real Democrat) may resent the intrusion of conservatives like yours truly, especially when they learn that I am unlikely to vote at all in a general election (more on that later).

And to the extent that Donald Trump supporters approve of meddling in a Democratic primary, their goal is to boost Sanders and doom Biden. This sort of strategic voting strikes me as unethical, risky, and presumptuous.

My brand of meddling is different. First, to assuage my Democratic readers, I happen to be voting for the candidate who I sincerely believe would have the best chance of defeating Donald J. Trump. Second, for my Republican friends, what I am doing (albeit within the confines of the Democratic primary) is following the Buckley Rule: supporting the most conservative candidate who has a chance to win.

I have an affinity for Biden. He has been through a lot in his personal life. And now, having stumbled badly at the start of this campaign, his underdog status makes him all the more endearing. At some level, its hard not to root for Joe.

Admittedly, though, my real goal is to stop Sanders. Thats because the worst possible scenario for America is a Trump vs. Sandersmatch-up.

This lesser-of-two-evils scenario pits a right-wing nationalist against a socialist. Its the Ali vs. Frazier of horrific elections. Given a binary choice that hearkens back to pre-war Europe, most center-right folks will hold their nose and vote for the guy who isnt a commie (which is precisely why Trump wants Bernie to win).

You might scoff at this overwrought fear of Sanders, but I do not. Bernie is someone who praised Soviet-backed communist regimesat the very time when America was engaged in what appeared to be an existential battle against them. He praised Castros literacy programs. He called Daniel Ortega a very impressive guy. Even if you doubt Sanders could follow in Trumps norm-breaking footsteps as presidenteven if you assume he would be reined in by our liberal democratic institutionsthe fact that he has talked fondly of evil regimes with gulags and human rights abuses out the wazoo is, in my estimation, a dealbreaker.

Sanders must be stopped. precisely because the Bernie-Donald binary means that, either way, America ends up with a president who is far. far outside the mainstream of traditional American thought. This would be the most radical and least small c conservative match-up possible.

Republicans wont replace Trump on the ballot, so nominating Biden is the best way for Democrats to defuse this looming disaster, which is why Im voting for him in the primary and urging all my conservative brethren to do the same.

The good news is that many of you can join me. My maneuver is possible because I reside in the commonwealth of Virginia, a state that has an open primary, which means any registered voter can cast a ballot in either partys primary.

Other Super Tuesday states like Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Vermont also allow this. Other Super Tuesday states like Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Oklahoma allow unaffiliated or Independent voters, but not Republican ones, to vote in the Democratic primary.

One knock against open primaries is that outsiders can meddle. But one argument for them is that people who vote in a primary may then experience a sort of buy-in, where they suddenly have skin in the game and are invested in the partys success. It seems very likely to me that many center-right folks who vote for Biden today will also feel compelled to support him come November.

Ultimately, I was persuaded that stopping Sanders is a clear net-plus.

In this regard, I suspect Im weird (how many normal Americans have a political column?). As previously noted, Im still unlikely to vote in November. The reason? Because of my views on a myriad of important issues, including life, I cannot, in good conscience, cast a vote that, in my mind, is tantamount to endorsing the unacceptable platform, policies, and appointments of a presidential administration.

For this same reason, I have wrestled with the question of whether I should vote in the Democratic primary. This may open me up to charges of inconsistency, but ultimately, I was persuaded that stopping Sanders is a clear net-plus. Im confident I can sleep well at night knowing I tried to do that.

Still, voting for a Democrat feels utterly unnatural, and politics makes for strange bedfellows. On Super Tuesday, educated white suburbanites (including Never Trumpers) will join with the African-American community (once, but no longer, viewed as the most progressive Democratic coalition), in what might be a last-ditch effort to save American and stop crazy woke white folks from nominating Crazy Bernie.

What a long strange trip its been.

Read more here:
This Virginia Conservative Republican Is Ridin' With Biden - The Daily Beast

If the leader of the California Republican Party had her way, GOP candidates in this state would never mention President Trumps name.

Not that Jessica Millan Patterson is trashing Trump its hard to imagine a state Republican leader badmouthing a GOP president but she devours the polls like every political pro. And polls consistently show that throughout most of California, Trumps name is dirt.

The latest poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that among likely voters, 94% of Democrats and 57% of independents disapprove of Trumps job performance. It was approved by 84% of Republicans, but theyve become increasingly scarce in California.

So for any Republican candidate running in a competitive district against a Democrat, warmly embracing the unpopular president would be a vote-killer.

Patterson, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, says legislative candidates should campaign only on state and local issues and avoid all subjects presidential.

Congressional candidates might assail Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders call for single-payer, government-only health insurance tying it to all Democrats but they should similarly focus on the everyday problems of California voters, she says.

Our focus in California is on keeping it local, Patterson told me when asked how Republican candidates should handle Trump. Were going to be talking about things happening here and affecting voters lives focused on whats happening in Sacramento. Democrats have given us a lot to work with.

Shed also change the vocabulary of state politicians. Theyd discard Sacramento-speak and talk to voters in plain words about their daily problems and concerns.

Everyone in Sacramento talks in a different language, she complains.

Such as? Bill numbers, authors and coauthors, hearings, amendments.

Well, yeah, its the basic language of governing, presumably taught in high school civics classes. But it does prompt eye glazing and drowsiness.

They should talk to voters about how much more some [Democratic proposal] is going to cost them as taxpayers, Patterson says. Talk about issues that are important to people.

One more thing, she says: Republican politicians should show up more.

Democrats show up, Patterson says. Many voters dont think Republicans care about their problems.

She doesnt mean merely showing up at campaign fundraisers. Shes talking about showing up at meetings in lodge halls and local hangouts to listen to voters problems and discuss solutions engaging every single community and gaining trust.

Patterson showed up at my office the other day to talk about how shes trying to rebuild the crumbled California Republican Party one year after being elected its chairwoman at a state convention. Shes articulate, energetic and savvy. Delegates chose her over a firebrand conservative. Patterson ran as a pragmatist.

Sacramento consultant and former advisor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Cassandra Pye, who is black, told The Times at the convention:

Weve been a party thats essentially got a face that is primarily white and male and old. Its time we turn the party over to another generation and to some folks that look more like the rest of California.

Pattersons election was a significant step in that direction. She is the first Latino and first woman to be elected head of the California Republican Party.

Moreover, the two Republican leaders of the Legislature are women: Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield and Assemblywoman Marie Waldron of Escondido.

A lifelong political junkie, Patterson, 39, grew up in Montebello and went to Cal State Northridge, majoring in political science. After college, she immediately began working in politics. She lives in Simi Valley with her two young daughters and husband, an assistant dean at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

As the full-time CRP chairwoman, Patterson is paid $250,000 annually almost twice the $127,500 salary California Democrats pay their state chairman, Rusty Hicks.

Pattersons parents were both Democrats her dad a Teamsters union shop steward and her mom a Reagan Democrat. Her father was of Mexican descent. Her mother was Irish and Ukrainian, a strong Catholic drawn toward the GOP by its opposition to abortion. Patterson also is anti-abortion, but says she has never been a pro-life activist.

In California, where voters strongly support abortion rights, Republican candidates wisely stopped focusing on the issue several years ago. The last two Republican governors Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson were both pro-choice abortion rights advocates.

But Californians havent elected a Republican to statewide office since 2006. Its strictly one-party rule in Sacramento. Democrats hold supermajorities in both legislative houses.

And Democrats dominate the California delegation to the U.S. House by 46 to 7. Republicans lost half their seats in 2018 when Democrats tagged GOP incumbents as Trump toadies.

Coming out of November 2018, we were in incredibly dark times, Patterson says. But that darkness has been filled with some hope, some excitement and just the right amount of people being pissed off about everything from homelessness to just being able to afford staying in California any longer

We see that in candidate recruitment, volunteer recruitment and online contributions.

Patterson says the party raised $1 million online last year, a 1,000% increase. There has been a 33% increase in major donors.

But Republican voter registration has fallen in recent decades to 23.7% of the electorate, far behind Democrats, who are at 44.6%. The GOP even trails no party preference independents, 25.9%.

Democrats could be a huge help to California Republicans by dumping Trump in November.

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The leader of California's Republican Party has a strategy for success: Never mention Trump - Los Angeles Times

SAN ANTONIO The Deputy Sheriff's Association of Bexar County is calling for the dismissal of a Bexar County Sheriff's Office community liaison after he accused Republicans of racism.

Robert Vargas III, the former campaign manager for Sheriff Javier Salazar, is in hot water for a since-deleted Facebook post saying that Gerry Rickhoff's success in Tuesday night's primary was evidence that Bexar County Republicans are racist.

Facebook | Robert Vargas III

The Deputy Sheriff's Association of Bexar County responded with a Facebook post of their own, calling on Sheriff Salazar to remove Vargas from his position.

"Regardless of how one feels about the candidates for Sheriff and their supporters, it is completely unacceptable for Sheriff Salazars Community Liaison, a county employee whose salary is paid by taxpayers, to post racist, divisive comments like those below," the post said.

Jeremy Payne is the DSABC president, and he was displeased with what he sees as a double standard.

"The sheriff has definitely held our guys accountable. We've been seeing guys fired, we've seen guys put on administrative leave, and we expect the same type of punishments to happen across the board," Payne said. "There's no there's no place in Bexar County for racism."

"Treat everybody the same way, regardless of if there are people in your employ, past campaign managers, or any of the deputies or the streets," Payne said. "Be consistent in your discipline, period."

Vargas worked for and donated to Salazar's campaign for Bexar County Sheriff in 2018. In January of 2019, Vargas began working at BCSO as a "change management specialist."

According to the sheriff's office, his job is to "affect cultural change within BCSO by serving as a conduit to all levels of government and constituents. At the time of our earlier reporting, Salazar said that Vargas was not working on his campaign on county time.

According to a Bexar County spokesperson, employees are allowed to participate in political activities, but they can't do so while on duty, in uniform, or while using county property.

Bexar County Sheriff's Office released the following statement on Wednesday night:

"This matter is currently under investigation by Sheriffs Administration. Any discipline will be handled in accordance with policies and procedures."

RELATED: Race for Sheriff: Salazar wins Democratic primary; Rickhoff wins in GOP race

RELATED: 'It is a political stunt': Candidate sounds off on sheriff's arrest of child sex assault suspect who was mistakenly released

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Sheriff's association calls for BCSO employee's firing after he accused Republicans of racism - KENS5.com

President TrumpDonald John TrumpAs Biden surges, GOP Ukraine probe moves to the forefront Republicans, rooting for Sanders, see Biden wins as setback Trump says Biden Ukraine dealings will be a 'major' campaign issue MORE faces more than nine months left in office before voters head to the pollsto decide on his reelection,but the early dynamics of the race to succeed him are already on display.

Several prominent Republicans who have been floated aspotential 2024 candidates took the stage at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., making appearances at the confab to boost Trump while keeping up their own profiles.

While the potential for a second Trump term looms large, Republicans have already started buzzing about who may run toreplacehim,such as Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoCarson on coronavirus: Task force is not 'sugarcoating' messaging Melania Trump at State award ceremony: I'm 'proud of what this country continues to do for women' House Republicans sound the alarm on Taliban deal MORE, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki HaleyNimrata (Nikki) HaleyThe Hill's Campaign Report: Biden riding wave of momentum after stunning Super Tuesday Nikki Haley expected to endorse Loeffler in Senate race CNN's Begala: Trump will 'dump Pence' for Haley on day of Democratic nominee's acceptance speech MORE and Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzHegar advances to Democratic runoff in Texas Senate race Texas lawmakers call for investigation into CDC's handling of released coronavirus patient in San Antonio Klobuchar, O'Rourke endorse Biden at Dallas rally MORE (R-Texas).

Speaking at the annual gathering is viewed as a key step for any potential GOP presidential hopeful,with Republicans this week presenting themselves tothousands of activists amid speculationover their political futures post-Trump.

"CPAC gives prospective candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves to the some of the most active and influential conservatives throughout the country," Sean SpicerSean Michael SpicerSean Spicer to launch 'Spicer & Co.' on Newsmax TV Tuesday night Republicans give 2024 tryouts at CPAC Hillicon Valley Presented by Facebook FCC fines mobile carriers 0M for selling user data | Twitter verified fake 2020 candidate | Dems press DHS to complete election security report | Reddit chief calls TikTok spyware MORE, the former White House communications director, told The Hill.

Pompeo used his Friday speech tolist offthe administration's accomplishments, including the elimination of several high-profile terrorists, but also cast his tenure as secretary of State as one focused on tackling issues rather than hobnobbing with international leaders.

Im not in it for the fancy dinners in Paris or Switzerland or Vienna. Ive only been to those places twice, Pompeo said during his speech, casting his tenure as secretary of State as one that has shirked traditional hobnobbing with foreign leaders.

Id rather go be with my team in tough places, places that present hardship to the young men and women who are serving as diplomats all across the world, he said.

Pompeo, whodrew headlineswhen organizers announced he would speakto an influential conservative group in theearly voting state of Iowa next month, has opted to stay in Trump's Cabinet instead of run for Senate in his home state of Kansas.

He was introduced at CPAC on Friday byhis wife, who spoke in personal termsabouther husband's time working at a Baskin-Robbins in high school andcoming from a family with a "mean" Italian meatball recipe details aimed at showing Pompeo's softer side even as the secretary of State touted hisrole as the United States' top diplomat.

"Wherever I go, working for President Trump, people tug on my sleeve. They want to meet me. They want to meet not because Im Mike from Kansas but because I represent the greatest country in the history of civilization," he said to raucous applause and chants of "USA."

Pence used his speech at the gathering to voice confidence in the administration's efforts to combat the coronavirus which Trump tapped him to oversee this week and ticked off a list of accomplishments under the Trump administration, includingkilling several terrorists.

The vice president, who has crisscrossed the country to pitch various Trump policies, has alsoraised eyebrows with several trips in the past year to the crucial primary state of South Carolina. He went after Democrats in his CPAC speech, arguing thattheir party was lurching to the left with presidential front-runner Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersRepublicans, rooting for Sanders, see Biden wins as setback Sanders says Biden winning African American support by 'running with his ties to Obama' Sanders condemns his supporters' 'ugly, personal attacks' against Warren MORE (I-Vt.)leading the way.

Todays Democratic Party has been taken over by radical leftists who want higher taxes, open borders and late-term abortion, Pence said during his address on Thursday. There are no moderates in this Democratic field. Every other one of the Democrats running for president embraces Bernies democratic socialism.

Haley urged CPAC attendees to fight for capitalism during her speech and was mobbed when walking into the crowd. The former United Nations ambassador has given a spree of speeches since her departure from the Trump administration and this month launched a policy group that will focus on issues such as border security and socialism.

Cruz, meanwhile, took the opportunity to record a live taping of his podcast The Verdict, with the Texas Republican making a pitch to blue-collar voters who helpedelect Trump in 2016.

Today Democrats are the party of Hollywood celebrities and Silicon Valley billionaires and Wall Street titans. They sip their lattes and they look down on working-class Americans, he said. And on the other hand, working men and women, the working men and women here, union members, blue-collar union members used to form the heart of the Democratic Party. FDR Democrats who became Reagan Democrats and right now today theyre Trump Democrats.

A handful of otherGOP figures who have been floated as potential2024 candidates made appearances at CPAC this year, includingDonald Trump Jr. and Sen. Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David HawleyGOP senator to try to censure Schumer over SCOTUS remark Hillicon Valley: Lawmakers seek 5G rivals to Huawei | Amazon, eBay grilled over online counterfeits | Judge tosses Gabbard lawsuit against Google | GOP senator introduces bill banning TikTok on government devices GOP senator to offer bill banning TikTok on government devices MORE (R-Mo.).

Trump Jr. and Hawley, two conservative firebrands who have emerged as favorites of the GOP base, appeared onstage together at a panel railing at social media giantssuch as Facebook and Twitter for allegedly suppressing conservative accounts.

Several politicians who have later gone on to launch White House bids have been featured at CPAC, given its platform in front of thousands of faithful grassroots activists.

The CPAC tradition of fueling presidential bidsgoes back to former President Reagan. Reagan, then the governor of California, made an appearance at the conference in 1974 six years before hebecame president.

Trumphimself madeappearances at the gathering starting in 2011, using his speeches to burnish his conservativebona fides before ultimately going on to win the GOP nomination and the presidency in 2016.

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Republicans give 2024 tryouts at CPAC | TheHill - The Hill

A mail-in ballot option for all voters is just one of the voting changes for Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election year. Wochit

The last presidential election was historic in Pennsylvania for multiple reasons, including a voter registration surge.

More than 738,000 new voters registered in 2016 to cast ballots for the first time.

Most years, about 150,000 to 200,000 new voters register in Pennsylvania, but having the first woman on a major ballot and the Trump phenomenon yielded a surge four years ago.

Similarly, there was a surge of new voters in the 2018 midterms when Pennsylvania elected a record number of women. Some 330,594 voters registered that year.

This year, Pennsylvania is seeing another uptick in voter registration. Just a little more than two months into the year, it's impossible to say what the final count will be in 2020. But current registrations are already outpacing the 2018 midterms, though they are about half of the unprecedented number of registrations in 2016.

As of Monday, there were 34,729 new voter applications in Pennsylvania, according to the most recent numbers available from the Department of State.

Here are five things you should know about this year's numbers so far, according to a York Daily Record analysis.

Results: Biden pulls ahead on Super Tuesday

One of the keys to President Trump's Pennsylvania upset in 2016 was the nearly 200,000 voters that had switched parties to vote for him in the Republican primary and general election.

Now, it appears more Republicans are switching parties than Democrats.

There's always a theory that Pennsylvanians switch parties to be able to vote in the state's closed primary, which limits voters to cast ballots only for their registered party.

There's no way to prove that on an Excel spreadsheet, but the numbers do show that 28,137 Republicans and third-party voters have switched to the Democratic party since January. In that same time frame, some 18,937 Democrats and third-party voters have switched to the Republican party.

Election 2020: After Super Tuesday, Pa.'s 'third senator' Joe Biden looks to win home state primary

The primaries are here! How does one get elected in the first place and what is in store for the Democratic National Convention in 2020? We explain. USA TODAY

Register to vote by April 13: The Pa. primary is April 28.

For decades, a seven-county region in southcentral Pennsylvania was a Republican stronghold. And to be clear, there are still more registered Republicans than Democrats in the overwhelming majority of those counties.

But Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, Lancaster and York counties are changing. Some areas, like Cumberland, Dauphin and Lancaster, are seeing a surge of Democratic voters. And York County, thoughoutpaced in population by Lancaster County, is seeing more voters switch to the Republican Party than any other county in southcentral Pennsylvania.

But overall, more voters are switching to the Democratic Party in southcentral Pennsylvania than the Republican Party, and it's a statistic that started to change in 2019.

In the last two months, some 3,870 Republicans and third-party voters have switched to the Democratic Party, while 2,156 Democrats and third-party voters have switched to the Republican Party.

The biggest shift from Republican to Democrat occurred in Lancaster (657), Cumberland (403) and Dauphin (373) counties. The biggest shift from Democrat to Republican occurred in York County (398).

Hundreds of votes or a few thousand votes don't seem like much in a large state with 8.5 million voters. But in a battleground state like Pennsylvania, which Trump won by a narrow 44,000 votes in 2016, those numbers matter.

And it doesn't just affect the presidential race. It could have a big impact on down-ballot races.

Jesse White, district operations director for Progressive Turnout Project and political consultant at Perpetual Fortitude, is counting on it.

Progressive Turnout Project is heavily focused on flipping the 10th congressional district in Pennsylvania from red to blue. Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican from York County, narrowly defeated Democratic challenger George Scott in 2018.

The grassroots organization is working to increase voter turnout in the district, whichincludes York, Cumberland and Dauphin counties, to elect a Democrat.

"Southeastern Pennsylvania usually votes blue, southwestern Pennsylvania has been leaning red. But southcentral Pennsylvania is growing more purple," White said.

Read more:Over 20,000 Pennsylvanians register for new mail-in ballots

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The City of Pittsburgh is reliably blue. But the counties surrounding it, where a fire hall fish fry is a rite of spring and Steelers flags proudly wave from front porches and trucks, are full of red.

The upper-class Republican communities in Allegheny County have been joined by blue-collar areas in Beaver and Washington Counties, and beyond, as they bought into Trump's signature slogan, "Make America Great Again."

A trend that started in 2016 is continuing this year. There are fewer Democrats this year than there were in 2016 in Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties. Meanwhile, there are more Republicans in each of those counties than there were in 2016.

For example:

Changes in 2020: New mail-in ballots, other new voting rules in Pennsylvania

There's been a saying for decades that you can't win Pennsylvania without winning the Philadelphia suburbs. Trump proved that untrue, at least for one year, when he won in 2016 without winning Philadelphia and its suburbs.

But the old adage becametrue again in 2018, when a five-county region in southeastern Pennsylvania sent a record number of women to U.S. Congress and state offices.

In 2019, history was made again. Democrats were elected to all five seats on the Delaware County Council, which had been held by a majority of Republicans since the Civil War. That same year, Democrats won the Board of Commissioners in Bucks County for the first time since 1983.

This year could yield a record Democratic turnout in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties. As of Monday, the five-county region had added 75,574 more registered Democrats than in 2016. The biggest increase was an addition of 20,214 Democrats in Montgomery County since the last presidential election.

In the same time period, the region has shed 31,384 Republicans from its voting rolls. The biggest loss was in Delaware County, where there are 16,981 fewer Republicans than in 2016.

Voting in 2020: Pa. lawmakers could change law to allow early counting of mail-in ballots

From registering to vote to election day, here are the dates that are important for voters to know. Wochit

Pennsylvania could rockthe vote a little harder.

There are 644,835 inactive voters in the state, including 418,777 inactive Democrats and 226,058 inactive Republicans, according to voter registration records.

The state defines an inactive voter as someone who has not voted in five years or has moved and not registered to vote in their new Pennsylvania county.

Think of a Penn State football game. Imagine a sellout crowd at Beaver Stadium. Multiply it by 6. Add 5,403 more people. That's how many registered voters in Pennsylvaniaare not actually voting.

That includes 80,862 voters in southcentral Pennsylvania throughout Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York Counties.

A closer look:

While those numbers pale in comparison to the more than 6.6 million active voters in Pennsylvania, every vote matters especially in a battleground state. The 644,835 inactive voters here could easily decide the election.

Remember, in 2016, it was 44,000 votes that decided the winner.

The USA Today Network is working to register every voter, make it easy for voters to check their registration and find their polling place. You can find all of that here.

Candy Woodall is a reporter for the USA Today Network. She can be reached at 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.

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Pa. voter trends: Republicans switching parties in reliably red counties and more - York Daily Record