tonight o "kqed newsroom," voting today in california on june 5th. it's the warriors and cavs again for the fourth consecutive year in the nba finals. plus a star-studded comedy festival returns to the bay area. from dozens of performers to interactive exhibits. welcome to "kqed newsroom i'm thuy vu. a new poll out on the governor's race shows san diego republican john cox advancing to second place among likely voters. democratic lieutenant governor gavin newsom remains in the lead, according to the poll.

crowded field of congressional candidates in california and the state's top two primary systemc d handicap democrats' efforts to challenge republican incumbents. joining me n are wilson walsh consultant sn walsh. reporter marreese is an lagos. and christine m duk welcome to all of you. sean, how significant are these latest poll numbers showing republicanoh cox in second plagues in t place in the governor's race? >> incredibly signit, not just for california but nationally. cox in second place maymectually the republican turnout for the congressional seats that nancy pelosi is coonting those five seats in california to turn the house, goes out the. win so it's really, really important. >> how did this happen? did trump's endorsement play a big role? >> i thinkt helped. cox has been getting support

from republican establishment folks for the last few months. he did succeed inng gettyou know, support from kevin mccarthy who is the hopeful house speaker. wohe's beening very hard to get a lot of endorsements. and i think a cole of tweets om trump is going to help, especially in a race where you have travis allen, state assembly men who are not well-known statewide. >> and christine, southern california. you've been covering the congressional raises. sean alluded tothis, if sean cox is in theoptwo, that could bring out more gop voters. what are me of the most competitive and interesting congressional raises that we should be looking at in june and down the road in november? >> yeah, absolutely, i think that sean t definitelyched on something that has been an issue that republicans are concerned about in california, and that is, you know, with this overwhelming level of energyn the democratic side, what can republicans do to ensure their voters turn out in june and

november to miake sure they maintain this edge that they usually have in midterm years. and so hing a republican candidate at the top of the ticket in california in the r governore could be a major key to sustaining that level of enthusiasm and therefore helping republicans really maintain that edge in turnout that they usually do have. t so i thiat it will make it tougher for democrats for sure. if it's john cox and gavin newsom the governor's race in the fall. >> the democrats have made it very clear the road tota rng the house needs to run through california. what are some of the most competitive rais thatou're seeing that we should keep an eye on? >> yeah, absolutely. to onwide, democrats need win about two dozen house seats to flip control of the house. they have targeted seven in california and three others actually for the full field that they're looking at as ten. and seven of those districts are districts where there's ali

repn member of congress yet hillary clinton won in 2016. one of the epenters ofthat activity right now is orange county where there are four congressional seats there that are held by republicans that are really competitive in their eyes. and two of those actually belong to congressman ed "roseanne" and congressman darrell issa, both of whom have announced they're r not going to ning again, they're actually retiring. often seats are much easier to win than those who run against incumbents. i would say that orancounty, the 39th district, the 49th district there, are open seats. the 45th, rohrabacher's district in the 48th, are major ones to watc >> that's important too, because orange county is changing. you know, if you look at some of mcclintocricts, tom near sacramento, those are still pretty red. but orange county has been becoming more diverse, a younger population. and so a lot of people i talk st

whody these numbers say that even if republicans can win in those districts thisyear, it's going to be a tough road in 2020 and 2022, which may be why "roseanne" a royce and insa are ste down. >> there are three advantages that are cong to light. the unemployment number is out today, 3.2%, rock bottom. 200,000 plus jobs. >> the biggest number of gains since february. >> it is.y the counis feeling it and california is feeling it. number two, the democrats ran everybody including the butcher, kethe and the candlestick makene maker in these races, they tend to cancel each other out. there are so many democrats that e so disparate, they'll split the vote. republicans are fling good about that.

gavin newsom's efforts to get john cox as h running mate have had significant impact. the business communityd a poll or a survey where they figured that if there was not a republic o on the top the ticket, that the high propensity of republican voters coming out in thele fallion would fall about 55%. if there's a republican at the top o ticket, it's 85%. those numbers, with the multiple democrats running in those races, make the difference. >> christine, you're in soutrn california. how big an issue is immigration and hall issue drive additional gop members, gop voters to the plyls, especi when you have all this debate now over california's sanctuary aws and there is a bit of resistance coming from a lot of the cities and counties in southern california? >> yeah, i thin immigration is always annd interesting crucial issue in california, and especially southern california.a it'so a very big issue for central valley republicans who kind of have taken a different

road on that issue andal they have to walk that fine line because so many of their constituents are immigrants, kids of immigrants. that being said, i think that a lot of the focus recently on the sanctuary st policy and the local cities opposing sanctuary state policy in california has really bee on th republican side in terms of a base motivator. there's been a very real polical calculation tha republican voters in orange ounty and san diego county, that these folks really disagree with this idea of the sanctuary state policy and therefore a lot of the republican candidates, especially in the primary, incumbents as well as challengers, have r stepped up and taken a strong stance supporting the opposition to same thi sanctuary state policy, essentially. i think that one of the things strategists have cautioned about is that immigration in general can be an emotional issue.

andyp thatof issue as well as taking strong stances on sanctua policy may motivate democratic voters. >> immigrationcan cause the undoing of a republican, too. look at governor petend wilson prop 187. >> immigration and illegal ig ition. with democrats there is a belief that yes, we favortiegal immig, but uncontrolled, unregulated illegal immigration is a problem. i will tell you, this is an issue across the country. sanctuar cities and sanctuary state factors into other states. in the last 42 midterm elections, the party that was not in power gained seats only twice in 80 years has that happened, where that trend didn't ppen. that may affect this year, with the economy and these issu drivinters. and not just republicans but democrats. rness fundamental f issu >> i disagree a little bit. i think sanctuary state is a grubt issue for rcans in gher states to run on, in some

districts it'sd issue, it divides people. but if you go out and talk to voters in big cities, their concerns are around housing and homelessness, quality of life issues. i thinkmi iation of course for a subset is an issue. but if we talk about the ra governor' statewide, i think that will motivate the republican base. but john c will run into trouble in the general election when he'sng tro get moderate voters. >> let's talk about the race between dianne feinstein and kevin de leon. most legal perts think dianne feinstein will definitely come occupa out the winner. how has kevin de leon changed the tenor of this race? >> i think she's been pushed to the left, although she would dispute that. she's come out in favor of recreational marijuana and medical she's really i think moved to the left on some of these issues

that previously s been a more moderate democrat. so i think phe recenll friday morning is interesting, she's only at 36%. that's onlyag 6 perce points more than where gavin newsom is polling. she's been in office 25 years. she's well-known. the question is can kevin de leon get into the top two. i don't think he can win against her. it will make it a differenta rae keep pushing dianne feinstein towards the left. >> christine, from your vantage point at "thean loles utmes," how is the senate race playing >> i think that it is really notable tat she is polling at that low of a number, having been in office, an incumbent foo long. one thing you're going to have to watch is that dianne feinstein has a lot of money in if the bank, almost $7 million difference between her and kevin de leon. she's already spent a lot of that money and still has so much

more in the nk kevin de leon has struggled with fundraising, which is essential in a statewide race to get your message out. we'll have to watchhat into november if he makes it into the top two. >> tre were some interesti numbers out this week showing the republican party is sort of now a third party in nicalifora. there are more independent voters than republican voters. how do you expect - what do you anticipate this, what effect it will have on the june election and further in november? >> we're number three, we try harder. >> i wish you luck. >> there's been a trend line, we've been analyzing this it seems to have happened two years soon thanwhat the actual projected timeline. it's not just a republican phenomeinn. you're s democrats going into this category as well. >> no party preference. preference. the issue is, i think there are still underlying substantive policyssues that people align to. they just don't want to align with party labels.

the democrats are going to face that as well. so the real interesting thing is, steve poysnor is insurance commissioner with no party pasference. he republican in the past. if he can break through, because normally look at people look at the ballot designation and vote on that, might see a crack in the dam where other people can run as a mpp. >> other moderate republicans who are frustrated with the trump message and what we're seeing from the republican party are really hoping that poysnor does open a new pathn california. independent voters, what's interesting is they're not thard voters. they generally go democratic or republican, they just don'tant to be aligned with either party, which of course makes it harr for political consultants like john to do their job. e. money in the bank, they need us m >> quick comment? >> yes, i think that marissa is right, it really makes the jobs of campaigns and local

consultants a lot harder. not ly are you n sure what the message is to go to certain voters. you're also not ture inms of get out the vote. if you have a democrat on your walk listand you're walking through precincts and eighborhoods, you can say this person is probably somebody that supports 24 and we'll target them to get out to the polls. as aer lahunk of these folks fall into the nonaffiliated category, it makes these campaigns harder. >> a lot to watch between nowd tuesday. maria, sean, and christine, thank you so all of you. >> thank you so much. turning now to sports. lastight the golden state warriors beat the cleveland cavaliers in overtime in game 1 of theba finals. thursday's game delivered high drama with golden state winning 124-114. cleveland's lebron jamesarried his team with 51 points. cavs were close to winning but for a few epic mistakes.

is that enough to help e warriors clinch their third championship? 95.7 the game co-host vante hill, and reporter for cleveland.com, joe varten. so nice to have you both here. you must a little tired after, wow, what a game last nighow >> it was a time at oracle arena for sure. i didn't get hometil late. but it was worth it. i'm still trying to comprehend whahappened. prior to game one, some people thought, yet another final matchup between the waoiors and cavs, years in a row, boring. did last night's game shatter that, joe? >> yeah, i think so. i think what you saw is not only a cavs team, but some emotions, these two teams have fought for titles for three straight years. this is the fourth year. you've got draymond mocking the cavs and lebron and steph -- >> trading word>>

his is something that's been going on and on. the more you put thse two teams into a room together, the tenser it's going to be. >> the game itself wasn't boring, by all accounts it wase one of most exciting game one of the finals. but is thematchup itself exciting enough? some sports fans have been griping, four years of this it's taken all the excitement out of basketball. >> yeah, no, i think you have one of the greatest teams of all dtime in the g state warriors. and what they've done over the last four years. and on theouther sideave one of the greatest players in nba history. how can you be border? you have lebron james trying to conquer this team for all stars. the golden state warriorsow k each other, they like each other. some of the cavaliers feel they should have won because of the injuries. nd the warriors fee they should have won because nick adala started gettingbb d.

it's not a boring matchup. you have the storylines, the tar power. and leading into game one, i kind of wanted to see the boston celtics, but once the ball was tipped, i was like, okay, these teams hatend each other the drama reflects that. s how d lebron james -- like what's the dynamic of that as he approaches the season? >> i think bothe and his teaates understand the dynamic. in the first three matchups, lebron had a running might in kyrie irving who is as good as they come, and he's no longer with the s. now they're set up to play entirely through lebron and through his role players to play their roles some . for theost part in game one you had players playing well defensively, moving the ball, rebounding. those are the kinds of things oat he needs his teammates to do. thy had two other players score at least ten points.

ey probably need one or two more to start windowing fgames. >> you're coach steve kerr, what changes would you make to slowrodown l james in future games? >> you may need to start sending more doublems at lebron james. he's such a good passer, you have to pick your poison. i think you have to live with what lebron james is shooting. he did make three three pointers last night. he's shooti the ball so much better. here it is, year 15, and you've seen it, his shot is so good. you can't really stop him. you only hope he has a cold night. they also need andre gedala, he's out with soreness, he's out for game numbertwo. he defends lebron james long, he can move hi feet, hesmart. the warriors without andre gedala will struggle to slow down lebron james. >> joe, is there a perfect team forn leb james?

what would that look like? >> he's always wanted to be on teams werete sh are placed around him. to a large degree he's had that in cleveland. what no one envisioned was kevin durant joining a warriors team already built to win titles. theseer two teams supposed to duke it out. no one saw durant coming, that sort of changed the dynamic. what lebron has this year around him is not ideal, just because he doesn't ha that other playmaker. and you could even argue there are fewer shoo rs on the team this year. but lebron has been so good, and the other guys have done just enough get them back to this point. >> so what's at stak snow? there ae individual legacies at stake, for king james, for curry, for durant? >> i think lebron's legacy is pretty well set in stone. he's got three titles. he won one in cleveland. he played well this year when it looked like the team may retreat. so i think his legacy is there. steph is looking for a finals mvp, i think.

>>right. >> and the same goes for durant. i thinkrant, durant i don't lieve will reach lebron's level in terms of legacy but he will be a multi-time champion, a former mvp. it should be all rosy. >> i agree with joe. lebron james has been an underdog in all but one or two nba finals. nobody expects the cavaliers to make this a series. by him taking the cavaliers team to the finals is an accomplish. they lose their first game to indiana, get blown south, play a boston team, they were tough. they had the home court ddvantage lebron james goes to the parquet floor and wins game number 7 i boston. i agree with joe, lebron's submitted. kevin durant needs to win another ring. last year everybody said the warriors, it's just an unfair advantage, nobody had time to prepare for them. kevin durant and steph curry

need this moe. i'm going to ask this to both you guys, 30 seconds each. who do you think going to ie series and why? joe. hink it will be the warriors, just beuse they are the worst possible matchup for the cavs. everything that the warriors d well are things that the cavs have been struggling with l season. >> right. warriors in 5.wi lebron james win a game probably in cleveland. they just have too much talent. they're deeper than the cleveland cavaliers. it will be a fun five-game seri but i have the warriors winning the championship. >> good stuff. thanks so much, you guys, fun to have you on. >> good to be here.be >> good to here. comedy central's colossal cluster fest kicks off this weekend in san francisco. the three-day festival will feature performances from more

than 70 cedians and musicians, including salt and peppa. festivalgoers will get a chance to take selfies at interactive exhibits including a south park themed county fair and aia presidentl library comprised of tweets. kqed caught up with "daily show" correspondent roy wood jr. >> where are we today? >> this is the donald j. trump presidential twitter library. evybody at "theaily show," we sat around and started looking closer at the e president's t over the last couple of years, everyone in our digital department sta ed looking ones. you startoticing certain patterns. there's a lot of tweets where he's arguing with celebrities, trying to end people's careers, a lot of contradictions, stuff about policy. when you start looking at all the president's work, you see, oh, this is an exhibit, you

know. barack obama is all about books. our predent is a about twitter. we felt like the best way to give people the experience of walking through t brain of our comma jer in chief is tost put it out on the wall. his is all the people he's argued and talked trash out. bush, trash about jeb about rob pattinson. somehow they still persevere i'm not sure whether you leave this library feeling better about the coury or mor horrified. you should definitely feel something. >> earlier this week abc canceled "reanne" after oseanne" sent a racist tweet about valerie jarrett, comparing her to an ap what was your reaction?i >>as shocked abc made a decision to cancel "roseanne." i feel like the mestake make as performers sometimes is making jokes off the stage. this goes for any median. i feel like the safest place, if you want to say something at has soedge, that really was a joke, that you really didn't intend to be taken that way, tht

salace to say it is on the stage. twitter is a trap. you're at the mercy of other people's interpretati ns. you hav vocal inflection. it doesn't matter whether i agree with roseanne calling someone an ape. i don't agree witht. tha but the least safe place to do that is twitter. twitter chews up careers. >> what will you tell your son when he's older about what it's like to be a black man in america? >> my son has to understand that betng black is a g and sometimes it's a burden. everybody goes have you had the big talk. when are you going to have the talk. they're talking about the birds and the bees. to me the big talk is how to deal with the police. it's something i thin about all the time. because, you know, being black is a job sometimes. and my son has to know he'se on th clock 24/7. >> we heard about he march for

our lives in d.c. but there was another march going down all the way out in hall elena helena, montana. people will taking a stance for the real victims of gun violence. guns. >> when the march for life was taking place, you were at a p pro-gun rally in montana. what did that teach you about people who oppose gun restrictions? >> the are a lot of people who oppose gun restrictions who are everybody thinks just because someone wants the second amendment that they got eight guns and 12 ramobbo bazookas in their backet poand they're all luneatics. there are a lot of people who are pro gun, who in my opinion are out there. any time you take a kid that got shot at at a high sc

think he's a paid actor, there's something wrong are you, period. people who will call a parkland kid a crisis actor overshadow th w levelheaded people say, let's tiptoe into legislation, i'm opento legislation, let's figure out a way to legislate this before it gets out ofhand. it was dope to go to montana. >> what's the tactic to tackle these issues through comedy, is there a risk of belittling the issue? > we would never tell a joke about someone getting shot. the joke is how do we keep this from happening and who are the h people keeping from happening again. i think that's where the humor is. and i think if we laugh about it, you're more willing to talk about it. if you're willing to talk about it, then you're closer to a solution. so i feel like the jokes have to happen. >> how do you decide what stories to cover on "the daily

show"? >> that's a whole other world. if we cy something we believe is different from what other shows are saying, we'll say it.et ses it's about figuring out what issues are important to re. there's issues wit may not be national news. i covered a story about some stuff that's happened on the mississippi river with a boondoggle with the army corps of engineers. not a big news story. but it's sctmething that af people. it's something that economically and environmentally was r the country. thankfully right before president obama got out of office, he changed it. i like to believe my story is the reason yowelcome, missouri. that's what i tell myself at night before i go to bed. >> roy, thank you so much, great talking with you, thank you. >> colonssal cluster fest san ards friday in francisco. tickets are still available at as always, find more of our coverage at kqed.org/newsroom.

i'm thuy vu. thanks for joining us.

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