RESULTS: California holds primary elections
The races and the stakes:
California's June 7 primary will feature plenty of fireworks and maybe a few surprises. It features a high-profile governor's race and the most important mayor's race in the country this year.
Polls are now closed in California, and results will begin to trickle in over the next several hours, or even days.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who thwarted a recall effort last year, will run for a second term. And Los Angeles Democrats will decide between a longtime House member and a billionaire former Republican to run the nation's second-biggest city.
California has a nonpartisan, top-two primary system, meaning that the top two vote-getters in each primary advance to the general election, regardless of party.
The state also holds its elections almost entirely by mail, meaning that it could take several days for officials to tally the election results.
Governor
Newsom handily brushed off a recall effort last year and strode into his state's June 7 primary with confidence. He will face Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle in the fall, Decision Desk HQ projects.
The large field of candidates lining up for the second slot on November's ballot all trail Newsom significantly in fundraising and name recognition, including Dahle; management consultant Jenny Rae Le Roux, a Republican; and homeless advocate and Independent Michael Shellenberger.
Republicans have not won a gubernatorial election in California since Arnold Schwarzenegger was reelected in 2006.
Lt. Governor
California Lt. Gov Eleni Kounalakis, a Democrat, is expected to coast to her party's nomination this year as she seeks a second term. Her opponents include Republicans David Fennell and Clint W. Saunders, as well as Democrats Jeffrey Highbear Morgan and William Cavett Saacke.
Attorney General
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the incumbent attorney general, Rob Bonta, after his predecessor, Xavier Becerra, joined President Joe Biden's cabinet. Now, Bonta, a Democrat, is running for a full term as the state's top prosecutor.
While Bonta should be able to clinch the Democratic nomination, Californians are increasingly concerned about crime and homelessness. Republican challenger Nathan Hochman, who served in the Justice Department under George W. Bush, and Independent Anne Marie Schubert, the Sacramento County district attorney, are vying to take on Bonta in November.
US Senate
Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat, is running simultaneously to finish his Senate appointment until 2023, and for a full Senate term ending in 2029.
Padilla was appointed by Newsom to fill Kamala Harris' seat when Joe Biden chose her as his vice president.
Padilla is expected to be the Democratic nominee in both contests. Republican Mark Meuser is also challenging Padilla in both contests.
Mayoral Races
Los Angeles Mayor
The Los Angeles mayor's race is the top local race in the country, due to the massive scope of the job and the political intrigue that surrounds the field. The stakes are also high: Anyone who gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary can win the election outright; if no single candidate gets a majority of the vote, then the top two candidates advance to the November election.
For months, Rep. Karen Bass, the longtime Los Angeles congresswoman, was presumed to be the Democratic frontrunner. But billionaire developer and former Republican Rick Caruso stormed into the race, blanketing the city with advertising and quickly racking up support by focusing on homelessness and crime.
Watch to see whether one of these candidates wins the election outright, or if the race will extend until November.
San Jose Mayor
The race to represent this city, situated at the southern point of San Francisco Bay, is shaping up to be one of the most expensive in its history, according to the San Jose Spotlight.
Top candidates include Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, and San Jose City Councilman Matt Mahan, who have both been the beneficiaries of an influx of PAC money.
Long Beach Mayor
Six candidates are vying to lead Long Beach, the seventh-largest city in California. The frontrunners in the race are city council members Suzie Price and Rex Richardson.
A poll released last month by the Long Beach Center for Urban Politics and Policy at Cal State Long Beach showed the two candidates locked in a tight race, with Richardson at 23.4 percent and Price with 22.5 percent support. Other candidates in the race include J. Raul Cedillo, Deb Mozer, Joshua Rodriguez, and Franklin Sims.
State Assembly races
Democrats currently have a supermajority in the California State Assembly, holding 58 out of the 80 seats, and both parties are targeting several key races across the state.
District 22
The swing district, anchored around the Central Valley city of Modesto, will host an open-seat contest.
Stanislaus County public defender Jess Self and longtime state legislative aide Chad Condit are running as Democrats, while Stanislaus County Sheriff sergeant Juan Alanis and San Joaquin Council of Governments regional planner Joel Campos are competing as Republicans.
District 27
Madera, Merced, and northwest Fresno make up a bulk of this key open-seat majority-Latino district. Fresno council members Mike Karbassi and Esmeralda Soria are running as Democrats, while former Merced County Sheriff Mark Palin and agriculture retailer Amanda Fleming are the GOP candidates.
District 70
This district — which includes portions of both Los Angeles and Orange counties and the neighborhoods that make up Little Saigon — was drawn to ensure representation for the area's large Vietnamese-American population.
Janet Nguyen, the Republican incumbent, chose to run for the Senate, and four Vietnamese-American candidates have emerged as the leading candidates.
Westminster Mayor Tri Ta, Westminster city council member Kimberly Ho, and Fountain Valley City Council member Ted Bui are running as Republicans, while Democrats have coalesced around Garden Grove city council member Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen.
District 76
In the northern reaches of San Diego County, Republicans for generations were a dominant force. However, the last decade saw Democratic gains that mirrored many affluent counties across the country during the Trump administration.
Democrat Brian Maienschein, who was first elected to the Assembly as a Republican in 2012 and switched his party affiliation in 2020, is running for another term in the competitive district. Two Republican candidates are competing in the race — attorney June Cutter and San Diego water board member Kristie Bruce-Lane.
Chula Vista Mayor
In Chula Vista, the second-largest city in San Diego County, six candidates are vying to succeed Mary Casillas Salas, who has served in office since December 2014.
The candidates include Ammar Campa-Najjar, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2018 and 2020, retired Army major Spencer Cash, Southwestern College chief of staff Zaneta Encarnacion, city council members Jill M. Galvez and John McCann, and businessman and former city council member Rudy Ramirez.