Californians Keep Newsom, Oust SF's Boudin, In Tuesday Primary Election

By Madison Hirneisen | The Center Square, The Center Square California

June 10, 2022

(The Center Square) – Within hours of polls closing Tuesday, several highly anticipated races in California’s primary appeared largely decided.

In the race for California governor, early results show Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom with 56.3% of the vote and Republican challenger state Sen. Brian Dahle with 16.8% of the vote. Challenger Michael Shellenberger, who ran as an independent, only garnered 3.7% of the vote.

Dahle will be Newsom’s challenger on the November ballot, though Newsom is largely expected to cruise to a second term after surviving a recall effort last year.

Appointed Attorney General Rob Bonta will also advance to the general election, with early results showing he received 54.5% of the vote. What’s still up in the air is who will be Bonta’s challenger on the November ballot.

Early results show two Republicans, Eric Early and Nathan Hochman, are in a close race to challenge Bonta in the general election. Unofficial election results show that Hochman has 18.5% of the vote, while Early has 16.8%. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who ran as an independent, had just 7.5% of the vote.

One of the most anticipated votes of the night was in San Francisco, where voters ultimately decided to recall District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Early results showed that 60% voted “yes” to the recall, and within an hour of polls closing Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Boudin was ousted.

Supporters of the recall claimed Boudin’s criminal justice policies made the city less safe and failed to hold criminals accountable. In a statement late Tuesday, California Retailers Association President and CEO Rachel Michelin said the recall of Boudin “makes clear what Californians’ attitude has been for months — if district attorneys in California won’t provide consequences to those who repeatedly violate the law, then voters will provide consequences for district attorneys.”

Early results from another highly-anticipated race Tuesday – the race for Los Angeles Mayor – showed businessman Rick Caruso and U.S. Rep. Karen Bass advancing to the November ballot. Caruso has 42.14% of votes and Bass has 36.95% of votes, according to early results.

The election saw lower-than-normal turnout for a primary, with totals around just 20% turnout as of Tuesday evening.

Results are likely to shift slightly over the coming days and weeks as elections officials tally mailed-in ballots postmarked June 7.

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