The California state Senate on Thursday approved a bill to require candidates appearing on the presidential primary ballot — including President Trump Donald John TrumpConservatives seize on Alabama state Dem's abortion comments NYT disciplines editor after publishing cartoon depicting anti-Semitic tropes Wall Street Journal editorial board: Dems vilifying Barr for 'acting like a real Attorney General' MORE — to release five years' worth of income tax returns.
The measure was approved in a 27-10 vote, according to The Associated Press. California, for the first time, will be one of the first states to hold its presidential primary in the 2020 cycle.
The bill is a response to Trump's insistence that he will not release his tax returns as presidential candidates traditionally have done, claiming he is under audit. If the bill becomes law and Trump does not release his returns, he may not appear on the California primary ballot.
"We believe that President Trump, if he truly doesn’t have anything to hide, should step up and release his tax returns,” said state Sen. Mike McGuire (D) who co-authored the bill, according to the AP.
All 10 Republicans in the state Senate voted against the bill's passage.
“I get that playing the resistance card may be good politics for the majority party, but I would submit that it’s bad policy for Californians,” Sen. Brian Jones (R) told the wire service.
The state's legislature passed a similar bill in 2017, but then-Gov. Jerry Brown (D), who did not release his own tax returns, vetoed the bill. A spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher NewsomInside California's fight against pollution Why victims of crime deserve a voice The Hill's Morning Report - Boeing crisis a test for Trump administration MORE (D) told the AP that if the bill was sent to Newsom's desk, "it would be evaluated on its own merits.”
Other presidential candidates would also be subject to the bill, but several 2020 Democrats have already released their tax returns.
Trump is facing one primary challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld William (Bill) WeldNew Hampshire Democrat: 'I wouldn't write off someone like Bill Weld' Weld: 'I would have pursued an indictment' of Trump if I were attorney general Bill Weld: Trump has 'lost the capacity to govern' MORE (R).
Similar bills are making their way through the Washington and New Jersey state legislatures.
nramos33 on May 3rd, 2019 at 01:07 UTC »
The real impact is down ballot.
If republicans in republican districts can’t vote for trump, they might not show.
This will impact Republican districts and maybe result in Nunez getting sent home in 2020.
asajosh on May 3rd, 2019 at 00:44 UTC »
California, Illinois, Hawaii and Washington state.
ClownsToTheRightOfMe on May 2nd, 2019 at 23:30 UTC »
It would hurt more if they passed a law forbidding political fund raising for candidates who don't release their tax returns.
California has a lot of ultra wealthy Republicans who fund a lot of other Republicans.