Professor Pruitt Provides Analysis of Shift in Shasta County Elections
Professor Lisa R. Pruitt was quoted in a July 7 story in ShastaScout about recent election results in a conservative area of California.
Pruitt said that the fact several conservative incumbents in Shasta County did not win re-election could point to a shift in residents voting strictly on party lines.
“Maybe what’s really prevailing for people when they’re deciding who to vote for is, ‘Who do I think is actually going to deliver the services that I expect from my school board, from my board of supervisors?’” she said.
Pruitt pointed out that Shasta County has drawn attention for its history of anti-government sentiments but these voting changes are also happening beyond deep red sections of rural California.
“I think it’s probably analogous to what you see nationally, which is a lot of disaffection right now with Trump and the whole MAGA lot,” she said.
Distinguished Professor of Law Lisa R. Pruitt is Brigitte Bodenheimer Research Scholar and president of the Rural Sociological Society. Her recent work explores the legal relevance of rural spatiality, including how it inflects dimensions of gender, race, and ethnicity. Pruitt's work also considers rural-urban difference in transnational and international contexts. She is the recipient of the law school’s 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award.