The Nation: Campaigning in the Golden State

California is more a state of mind than a slate of the union, and outsiders view the complexities of California politics with commendable apprehension. But despite the atypical and unpredictable nature of its politics—or perhaps because of it—the conventional West Coast wisdom is that what California is today, the nation will be tomorrow. The nation's most populous state is a melting pot of about 20,000,000 people: 9% Mexican-American, 7% black and 2% Oriental. Foreigners, including those from England, Germany, Italy and Canada, make up about 25% of the population. There are 9,104,406 Californians registered to vote in the June 6 primary;...