California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference in San Francisco, California on May 27, 2022. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Just months after Gov. Gavin Newsom survived a recall effort against him in September, the results of the California Primary race are in.
Newsom will advance to the general election in November with 57% of the vote at 48% of precincts reporting, alongside California state senator Brian Dahle, who received 17% of the vote. The top two vote-getters in the primary advance to the general election, regardless of party and whether they win a majority of the vote.
A crowded field of 26 challengers lined up against Newsom for the primary, and no clear front-running opponent emerged in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
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Early returns Tuesday showed Newsom receiving just over 60% of the vote. He was far ahead of second-place finisher Dahle, a Republican state lawmaker and farmer from the sparsely populated northeast corner of the state that borders Oregon and Nevada.
Newsom took to Twitter for his brief victory statement Tuesday night.
"Across the country Republicans are attacking our fundamental rights as Americans. Destroying democracy, stripping a woman of the right to choose, and standing idly by as gun violence claims too many lives," Newsom said in a statement.
"California is the antidote to their cynicism -- leading with compassion, common-sense and science," he continued. "Treasuring diversity, defending democracy, and protecting our planet. Here's to continuing that fight."
See Election Results Here
Dahle also made a statement on Twitter, thanking California voters and reiterating his stances on hot-button issues like energy policy, crime and inflation.
"Thank you, California," he said. "We are now moving forward to fight for the future."
Just one year ago, it looked as if Newsom could be on his way out as more than 1.7 million voters signed a petition to recall him from office. Dozens of Republicans lined up to challenge him in the 2021 recall election, eager to take down the Democratic governor of the nation’s most populous state ahead of the 2022 midterms.
Newsom defeated the recall effort in that race, winning 5,840,283 votes, or 63.9% of the total ballots cast in the state.
The governor's race was just one of a multitude of state office races during the 2022 primary. Other races included lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner, member of state board of equalization and state superintendent of public instruction.
Get the latest updates on the California primary here.
