LINDA VALDEZ

5 presidential election surprises (so far)

The presidential campaign is only bound to get stranger, columnist Linda Valdez. So let's talk about what's bizarre now:
The presidential campaign is only bound to get stranger, columnist Linda Valdez. So let's talk about what's bizarre now:
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ARIZONA'S ZANIEST PEOPLE ARE ROLE MODELS. Republican Donald Trump is using Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Gov. Jan Brewer to talk sense to the right.
ARIZONA'S ZANIEST PEOPLE ARE ROLE MODELS. Republican Donald Trump is using Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Gov. Jan Brewer to talk sense to the right.
Photo By Michael Chow/The Republic
AN OLD, WHITE GUY IS HIP. Bernie is the subject of many social-media memes, holding court with the likes of Gandalf, Dumbledore and Obi Wan Kenobi.
AN OLD, WHITE GUY IS HIP. Bernie is the subject of many social-media memes, holding court with the likes of Gandalf, Dumbledore and Obi Wan Kenobi.
Photo By John Meore/The Journal News
COMPETENCE NOT REQUIRED FOR GOP. 2008 VP candidate Sarah Palin lowered the standards - and Donald Trump has taken them subterranean, particularly when he conducts major policy debates with jokes about his naughty bits.
COMPETENCE NOT REQUIRED FOR GOP. 2008 VP candidate Sarah Palin lowered the standards - and Donald Trump has taken them subterranean, particularly when he conducts major policy debates with jokes about his naughty bits.
Photo By Mary Altaffer/AP
I AM A WOMAN. SO WHAT? In 2008, it was a big deal that a woman was running for president. Now? Not so much. People are comparing Hillary Clinton to Bob Dole, which ranks pretty low on the excitement meter.
I AM A WOMAN. SO WHAT? In 2008, it was a big deal that a woman was running for president. Now? Not so much. People are comparing Hillary Clinton to Bob Dole, which ranks pretty low on the excitement meter.
Photo By Michael Zamora/The Register
AMERICANS CAN AGREE. Two-thirds of registered voters consistently agree that the country is on the wrong track, according to Rasmussen polls. We agree that things are falling apart. We just refuse to work together to fix them.
AMERICANS CAN AGREE. Two-thirds of registered voters consistently agree that the country is on the wrong track, according to Rasmussen polls. We agree that things are falling apart. We just refuse to work together to fix them.
Photo By David Kadlubowski/The Republic