Tom Bradley speaking at the 1988 Aids Walk Los Angeles.

Joe Mathews of Politico put the “Bradley effect” to rest yesterday even before Barack Obama’s victory. In a piece called It was guns, not race, that affected Bradley, Mathews writes: “Over the past few weeks, I examined polling and news stories from the 1982 race and talked with dozens of major players in the Bradley and Deukmejian campaigns.”

His conclusion? Blame Proposition 15: “The main problem was guns … Bradley had endorsed Proposition 15, a statewide ballot initiative that would have put a freeze on purchases of new guns. Bradley and Proposition 15 both had a lead in the polls when Bradley decided to back the initiative. But there was a huge backlash against Proposition 15 in inland, conservative California precincts. The resulting turnout was so overwhelming that it took down Bradley.”