Discussion with Jim Brulte, Eric Bauman and Marisa Lagos- Non-Members

With the 2018 election season heating up, the Sacramento Press Club welcomes the chairs of the California Democratic and Republican parties. KQED reporter Marisa Lagos will moderate a discussion with CRP Chair Jim Brulte and CDP Chair Eric Bauman about the candidates they’re fielding, the challengers they’re facing, the campaigns they’re preparing, and the future of both parties in the deep-blue state of California.

Jim Brulte served 14 years in the Senate and Assembly, including time as Senate Republican Leader, before taking the helm as California Republican Party Chairman in March 2013.  He has a national reputation as a dynamic leader and, prior to the election of Governor Schwarzenegger, was described as “arguably the most powerful elected Republican in California.”

He was recently named one of the 100 most powerful people in Southern California by The Los Angeles Times and one of the top 50 most powerful political players in California by Capitol Weekly, which wrote “If anyone can engineer a Republican renaissance, it will be Brulte.” It’s a tall order, with the number of registered Republicans barely ahead of those who choose no party preference.

Eric C. Bauman was elected chair of the California Democratic Party in May 2017, after serving as vice chair for eight years and serving seven terms as chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Under Bauman’s leadership, the LA County Democratic Party has received 18 Pollie Awards from the American Association of Political Consultants in categories as diverse as Social Media, Vote-by-Mail, Video, Direct Mail and Automated Calls. This year he is number 8 on Capitol Weekly's Top 100.

Bauman began his career as a registered nurse with graduate education in Health Care Administration. He spent many years in intensive care and trauma nursing before moving into hospital administration and founding a health care management consulting firm.

Marisa Lagos reports on state politics for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk, which uses radio, television and online mediums to explore the latest news in California’s Capitol and dig deeper into political influence in the Golden State. Marisa also appears on a weekly podcast analyzing the week’s political news.

Before joining KQED, Marisa worked at the San Francisco Examiner and Los Angeles Times, and, most recently, for nine years at the San Francisco Chronicle where she covered San Francisco City Hall and state politics, focusing on the California legislature, governor, budget and criminal justice. Marisa has a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara.