We recorded this episode coming out of the most intense 8 days in American politics in a generation. A week and a day after an assassination attempt nearly felled former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden announced that he was abandoning his bid for reelection, and endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris.

Political data expert Paul Mitchell has been polling Biden's support in California since the president's disastrous debate performance on June 27. The numbers were not pretty for Dems, with Biden underperforming his 2020 results, and appearing to create a drag on support for Dem candidates across the board. Would another candidate be stronger?  On Friday, that was a hypothetical question, but no more.

With Kamala Harris the leading candidate for the nomination, we asked Paul what the earlier polling indicates about Dem enthusiasm, voter enthusiasm and how a change at the top of the ticket may effect other races. Also, will the VP pick bear more weight than usual given the historic nature of the circumstances? Will this be a candidate-driven or issue-driven election? And, what is the technical process for a change at the top of the ticket this late in the game?

All that, plus Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics.

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Capitol Weekly Podcast theme is "Pickin' My Way" by Eddie Lang 

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PHOTO: Kamala Harris speaking with attendees at the 2019 National Forum on Wages and Working People hosted by the Center for the American Progress Action Fund and the SEIU at the Enclave in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

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