What happened in the California election while you were sleeping
By Lynn La, CalMatters ·
The blue tsunami was bigger than almost any Democrat could dream up.
Democrats not only reclaimed control of the House by a decisive margin, but they flipped the Senate too, claiming seats in deep red states like Kansas, South Carolina, and Texas. That gives the party a powerful check on President Donald Trump in his final two years in office.
An Associated Press poll released Tuesday showed many voters disapproved of the president and also faulted Congress for not doing its job.
Now some California Democrats will wield gavels as they kick off investigations into the administration when they take the majority in January.
Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach had a two word message to Republicans: “Lawyer up.” The second-term Democrat is on track to lead the House Oversight Committee, which can be used to investigate just about anything in government.
Sen. Alex Padilla, the top Democrat of the Senate rules committee, and Rep. Pete Aguilar of San Bernardino, the chairperson of the House Democratic Caucus, would also likely gain more sway in Congress to challenge Trump.
On the social media site X, both of them signaled they planned to check the president. Padilla posted an image of a blue wave and mocked Trump’s recent rallies where he urged his supporters to vote as if he was on the ballot.
“America: HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR,” Padilla wrote.
Aguilar, meanwhile, wrote “House Republicans’ days of rubber stamping Trump’s reckless agenda are coming to an end.”
Amid concerns by Democrats that Trump would challenge the results of the midterm elections, the president said Tuesday in an interview with The New York Times that he would accept the results and that he looks forward to working with Democrats.
To see how California’s congressional races are going, check out our rundown here from CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller.
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California’s next governor
With Democrats outnumbering Republicans in California two-to-one, Democrat Xavier Becerra’s win wasn’t nearly as surprising as the sweeping changes coming to Congress.
As CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang explains, for months polls showed Becerra with a double-digit lead against Republican Steve Hilton. Media outlets declared Becerra the winner minutes after polls closed. By Tuesday night he secured at least 64% of the votes and will be California’s first elected Latino governor.
- Becerra: “Tonight I have a message for all those who have been made to feel afraid. There’s a new sheriff in town. … If anyone wants to come after California or any one Californian, they better be ready for a fight.”
But Hilton didn’t go down without a fight: He had raised more than $33 million (Becerra raised $38 million) while campaigning on ambitious pledges such as $3.00 gas, abolishing the DMV and slashing taxes.
- Hilton: “This isn’t the best year to be running for office as a Republican when we see what’s going on around the country. … The change we hope for may be delayed, but the change is coming. Our fight goes on and I’ll be there with you.”
It’s been a long time since a Republican won statewide office in California, and that trend appears likely to continue. Democratic candidates claimed all but one statewide elected position last night, writes CalMatters’ Jocelyn Wiener.
Two statewide positions are still undecided — superintendent and insurance commissioner. The Democratic-backed candidate for superintendent has a big lead, and two Democrats are facing off for insurance commissioner. Jane Kim is leading Ben Allen in the race for insurance commissioner.
What we know about all 14 propositions
Proposition 40, which would be a first-in-the-nation wealth tax, is falling short with only 44% of the vote as of Tuesday night, reports CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang. Though a handful of Bay Area counties are in favor of the one-time tax, dozens of others across California appear on course to reject it.
Meanwhile, only one of the two billionaire-backed measures that would nullify Prop. 40 are above water: Prop. 42, which would ban new taxes on personal assets, is leading with 55% of the vote. The other, Prop. 41, which would impose limits to certain new state taxes, is trailing with just 48%.
As for the other measures:
- Prop. 1, the $11.25 billion housing bond, passed.
- Prop. 2, which allows the state to save more in its rainy day fund, passed.
- Prop. 3, which would make permanent an income tax for high earners, passed.
- Prop. 4, which lift a ban on public financing for political campaigns, is trailing with 48% of the vote.
- Prop. 5, which would change how recall elections work, has a slim majority with 50.3% of the vote.
- Prop. 37, which creates a loan program for homebuyers, passed.
- Prop. 38, which would fund immunology research, is leading with 56% of the vote.
- Prop. 39, which would have required voter ID, failed.
- Prop. 43, which would make it harder to pass citizen-driven local tax measures, is trailing with 45% of the vote.
- Prop. 44, which would have required health clinics to spend more on patient care, failed.
- Prop. 45, which would lift some environmental review requirements for development, is trailing with 46% of the vote.
Trouble brews down-ballot for GOP
From CalMatters politics reporters Nadia Lathan and Kate Wolffe:
As Democratic upsets swept across the nation, Republican headwinds trickled down the ballot in California. Early returns Tuesday night had GOP candidates in toss-up legislative races struggling to fend off their Democratic challengers.
That means Democrats are likely to keep their supermajorities in both the Assembly and the Senate.
In the Sacramento area, retired school superintendent Amy Slavensky, a Democrat, was leading with 53% of the vote against Republican incumbent Assemblymember Josh Hoover hours after polls closed.
Other Republican incumbents in competitive races, including Assemblymembers Jeff Gonzalez, Greg Wallis and Leticia Castillo, were trailing their Democratic competitors.
Democrats led in four open seats Republicans were targeting. In Fresno, county Supervisor Brian Pacheco, a Democrat, had 63% of the vote in his race against Republican Mike Murphy, the former Merced Mayor. Republicans were hoping to flip the seat.
Democrats supported by tech and business interests were also faring well Tuesday night. Grow California, a billionaire-backed independent expenditure committee, put millions behind senate candidate Sara Hernandez and assembly candidate David Penaloza. Both ended the night ahead of their more progressive opponents, although the races were too close to call.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: When it comes to the state budget, Becerra faces a stark choice as the next governor: Continue the deficit spending or adopt a face-the-music attitude that could entail spending reductions and tax increases.
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