Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon - Could Elk Grove mayor play roll in helping Republicans keep Congress?

People may recall the parlor game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, also known as Bacon's Law. In the game, a player "arbitrarily chooses an actor and then connects them to another actor via a film that both actors have appeared in together, repeating this process to try to find the shortest path that ultimately leads to prolific American actor Kevin Bacon."

The game is meant to show Hollywood's insular nature and how everyone is connected by no more than six degrees of separation. The same game can be played with politicians, and Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen is a well-connected player.  

Today, an Associated Press story on California politics has a picture prominently featuring the Elk Grove mayor on the State Capitol steps. Singh-Allen and others were there to show support for a possible November statewide ballot initiative to toughen shoplifting enforcement laws and 2014's voter-approved Proposition 47.

The mayor was not there representing Elk Grove. Ms. Singh-Allen was there as a lobbyist representing gas station and convenience store owners.

As detailed in the AP story, the initiative has strong retailer support and traditional law and order-type Republicans. Democratic politicians, who are trying to keep it off the ballot, express concern the initiative could bring more conservative voters to the poll and be influential in several tight congressional races.

Currently, Republicans hold a slim five-seat majority. With its 53 congressional seats, many of which are in so-called toss-up districts, California will be instrumental in who gains control in the November elections.

Democrats rightfully fear that if this law-and-order initiative appears on the November ballot, more conservative-leaning voters who might not have voted given Biden's strength might now participate. If they do, they could be instrumental in those toss-up districts and help secure the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. 

So, as Mayor Singh-Allen, who is nominally a member of the Democratic party, campaigns for reelection, keep in mind her support for getting the tough-on-shoplifting measure for her clients on the ballot and its possible effects. By just a couple of degrees of separation, Singh-Allen could be part of the machinery keeping House Republicans and representatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz in the majority. 

Furthermore, if Trump wins and Republicans control both houses, Mayor Singh-Allen could be a few degrees away from the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 plans and all their implications. Who knows, given Singh-Allen is just a couple of degrees away from Washington DC power centers, maybe a Trump presidential appointment is in the works for Elk Grove's mayor, who was originally a Republican.

At worst, Singh-Allen could be invited to a Trump inaugural ball for her support of the Republican majority. Now, that would be one helluva selfie opportunity for the mayor!