.Wednesday Must Reads: Pundits Say Clinton Won Dem Debate, But Public Favors Sanders; Nearly Half of Californians Want Feinstein to Retire

Stories you shouldn’t miss:

1. Washington DC pundits and the mainstream press declared Hillary Clinton the winner of last night’s first Democratic presidential debate, but online polls showed that a super-majority of Americans say Bernie Sanders was the victor. The debate was hosted by CNN and the network’s homepage this morning declared that Clinton was “Poised, passionate and in command ” and “Clinton triumphs in Democratic debate.” But CNN’s own social media poll, conducted through Facebook, showed that a whopping 81 percent of respondents said Sanders won the debate, with only 13 percent favoring Clinton. The contradiction fits with the mainstream’s press decision to mostly ignore Sanders even though he’s drawing record crowds to campaign events and leads Clinton in New Hampshire, the first primary state.

2. Nearly half of California voters — 43 percent — think it would be a “bad thing” if six-term senator Dianne Feinstein were to run for reelection next year, the Bay Area News Group$ reports, citing a new Field Poll. Just 41 percent said it would a “good thing.” In addition, 48 percent of independent voters want Feinstein to retire.

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3. The US Supreme Court turned down a challenge to California’s top-two primary law, the Chron reports. The appeal was sought by smaller political parties who contended that the state voting system, which advances the top two candidates in a primary, regardless of party affiliation, is unfair and illegal.

4. A member of Kensington’s town board says that one of the town’s police officers — who was involved in a scandal when his gun and badge was stolen by a prostitute in Nevada — stalked and harassed her, the Bay Area News Group$ reports. The cop, Sergeant Keith Barrow, crossed city lines into Berkeley to go after Vanessa Cordova, an elected member of the Police Protection and Community Services District. Cordova had led the charge to fire Kensington Police Chief Greg Harman for his botched handling of the police investigation into Barrow losing his gun and badge.

5. And California corrections officials abruptly changed course and scuttled their proposal to allow inmates with violent criminal records to fight wildfires in the state, the AP reports (h/t Rough & Tumble).