Martin Wilson
Martin R. Wilson joined the CalChamber in October 2011. He oversees all the CalChamber’s public affairs activities and campaign, including the Public Affairs Council, a political advisory committee made up of the CalChamber’s major members; its candidate recruitment and support program; and its political action committees: ChamberPAC, which supports pro-jobs candidates and legislators, and CalBusPAC, which qualifies, supports and/or opposes ballot initiatives. He also serves as the CalChamber liaison to JobsPAC, an employer-based independent expenditure committee that supports pro-jobs candidates. He graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in history. See full bio.
Election 2022: First Look at Open Senate Seats as Ballot Counting Continues
An old idiom, “It’s all over but the shouting,” may have found an election corollary in California: “It’s all over but the counting.”
The November...
Citizens Redistricting Commission Delivers Updated Political Maps in Record Time
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission completed its once-every-decade constitutional duty on December 27, 2021, when it submitted final maps to the Secretary of State...
Incoming Senate Features 8 New Members
A new two-year legislative session begins on Monday, December 7, which means 120 members will take the oath of office. As always after an...
Two Days Post-Election: Wins and Trends
This election is one that seems like it will never end. However, there is one silver lining now that election day has passed: the...
California Vote by Mail in Safe Hands; Remember to Exercise Your Right to Vote
Democracy’s most sacred right, voting, is already underway in California with all 21 million registered voters having received a mail-in ballot.
While voting by mail...
Politics During a Pandemic Leads to Victories for GOP Candidates
California held two runoff special elections on May 12 that produced lopsided wins for the Republican candidates in districts where voter registration, at least...
California Primary Election: An Initial Review of Results
California’s grand political experiment to become relevant in the Democratic presidential primary process appears to have worked.
With California as a Super Tuesday state, California...
California Leads Presidential Election Landscape in 2020
California voters have achieved a new milestone: the distinction of being an early presidential primary state due to the Legislature moving the date up...
Newly Elected State Legislators Make Debut at CalChamber Public Affairs Conference Panels Examine Mid-Terms,...
An opportunity to get better acquainted with members of the 2019 legislative freshman class was among the agenda items at the California Chamber of...
CalChamber Survey: California Voters Cite Roads, Jobs, Housing as Top Concerns
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The Second Annual CalChamber Survey, released this week, indicates that the state's voters believe there are some homegrown issues that deserve the...
Vote Count Continuing: Moderate Dems Expand as Super Majority Returns to Assembly
An old saying, “It’s all over but the shouting” doesn’t necessarily apply to the final outcomes in a number of California legislative and congressional...
A Look at Tuesday Night’s Legislative Results—Counting Continues
In looking at the results from Tuesday’s California primary in Democratic open seats, we can say preliminarily that the outcomes look very positive for...
Long-Term Implications for California Employers in Down-Ticket Legislative Contests
A barn burner of a contest between Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders has generated a lot of national media interest in Tuesday’s California...
2015 Public Affairs Conference Day Two: Data Security, Presidential Race, Reform Priorities
Federal data breach legislation, firsthand coverage of the race for the White House, policy reform priorities for 2016, and a second year legislative session preview were all covered Wednesday...
2015 Fall Public Affairs Conference Day One Recap: Insights and Predictions
Lest Californians forget, 2016 is an election year and yesterday at the first day of the California Chamber of Commerce 2015 Fall Public Affairs...
Pundit, Pollster Frank Luntz to Speak at Fall Public Affairs Conference
Assessing the victories and setbacks of the first half of the 2015–16 California legislative session, plus forecasting the priorities for the second half, will...
Pro-Jobs, Ed Reform Candidate Steve Glazer Wins Senate Run-Off in East Bay Race
Steve Glazer, mayor of Orinda, emerged as the victor in the runoff race in an East San Francisco Bay Senate race defeating Assemblymember Susan...
Pro-Jobs Candidates Gain Victories in November Legislative Races
Business groups scored significant wins Tuesday night in a number of hotly contested and very competitive legislative races from around the state. Candidates from...