A California showdown with national implications: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, we take a look at where the billionaire tax campaign in California stands and what it signals about the Democratic Party’s direction. Plus, Andrea Mitchell examines President Donald Trump’s efforts to reassure a skeptical public on AI.

California Democrats avoided what would have been a brutal and costly intraparty fight for governor when progressive activist Tom Steyer finished third in the all-party primary this summer, leaving former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra as the clear favorite in a one-on-one November matchup against Republican Steve Hilton.

But there’s a battle brewing further down the ballot that could have even broader implications for the party, both in the state and nationally.

Voters in California will decide this fall whether to implement a one-time 5% tax on the state’s billionaires. Listed as “Proposition 40,” the ballot measure is shaping up as one of the most expensive campaigns in the country this year, with roughly $100 million already spent or booked on ads through Election Day, according to AdImpact. Tech leaders…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health