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California’s primary election included more than just deciding who voters want to see in the governor’s office.
Californians also voted on several statewide offices, ranging from the governor’s second in command to the regulator for the state’s embattled insurance market.
The top two vote-getters will go on the general election ballot, and voters will make the final call in November.
Attorney general
Attorney General Rob Bonta is heading to the general election and will face a challenge from Republican Michael Gates for the role of California’s top cop. Gates is a former trial attorney who served as Huntington Beach city attorney and a deputy United States Attorney. Bonta and his predecessor, Xavier Becerra, used their office to file dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration.
State superintendent
Veteran Democratic lawmakers Anthony Rendon, Josh Newman and Al Muratsuchi jumped into the race to become California’s next superintendent of public instruction. In a surprise, two of the most influential education organizations in the state — the California Teachers Association and the California Charter Schools Association — bypassed the veteran lawmakers and instead endorsed Democrat Richard Barrera, the president of the San Diego Unified School District. Sonja Shaw, the former Chino Valley Unified School Board President, will advance to the general election in November. Shaw was endorsed by both Republican gubernatorial candidates.
Who’s ahead: With 55 percent of votes counted as of 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Shaw is advancing to the runoff with 25 percent of the vote. Barrera has netted 19 percent of the vote.
Lieutenant governor
The role of gubernatorial second in command is largely ceremonial, with the largest responsibility involving standing in when the governor is out. The lieutenant governor also sits on several boards and commissions, and has the ability to cast a tie-breaking vote if the state Senate is gridlocked. Three Democrats netted the most money: Josh Fryday, a member of Newsom’s cabinet, followed by state Treasurer Fiona Ma and former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs. Republican Gloria Romero, who served 12 years in the state Legislature as a Democrat, ran a close campaign with gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton.
Who’s ahead: With 55 percent of votes counted as of 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Romero leads with 20 percent of the vote, trailed by Ma (19 percent) and Fryday (14 percent).
State controller
Democratic incumbent Malia M. Cohen is heading to the general election to defend her seat as the state’s chief accountant. Herb W. Morgan, a Republican who ran on a promise of exposing fraud in government, will be her challenger. Meghann Adams, a school bus driver from San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood also ran for the seat on a progressive platform as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party.
Secretary of state
Democratic incumbent Shirley Weber is heading to the general election in November for the role of the state’s top elections official. Republican Donald P. Wagner, an Orange County supervisor, will be her challenger. Wagner supports requiring voter ID at the polls and criticized Weber for the state’s slow ballot-counting process. Weber was appointed to her role by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 after eight years in the Assembly, and won a four-year term in 2022. She has overseen the implementation of universal mail-in voting in the state, and has pledged to further expand voter access.
Treasurer
Democratic candidates dwarfed Republicans in fundraising for the role of state treasurer, California’s chief banker. The role requires managing and investing unspent taxpayer money and overseeing the state’s borrowing and debts. Anna Caballero, most recently the chair of the state Senate’s powerful Appropriations Committee, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis both raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from large donors, including unions, tribes, and businesses. Kounalakis will advance to the general election.
Who’s ahead: With 57 percent of votes counted as of 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Kounalakis is heading to the November ballot with 34 percent of the vote. Republican candidate Jennifer Hawks, a retired businesswoman, has 27 percent.
Insurance commissioner
Californians get a chance to weigh in on who should regulate the state’s embattled insurance market, which has been grappling with how to cope with insurers leaving the state amid growing wildfire risks. Current and former state Democratic lawmakers Ben Allen and Steven Bradford are among the candidates, as is Democrat Patrick Wolff, a financial analyst whose campaign is largely self-funded. The Republican Party has endorsed insurance agent Stacy A. Korsgaden.
Who’s ahead: With 57 percent of votes counted as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim has the lead with 24 percent of the vote. Allen is next with 19 percent of the vote, and Korsgaden has 18 percent.
Board of Equalization
This five-member group is the nation’s only elected tax board. It advises county assessors, sets the taxable value of property owned by utilities and railroads, and hears some taxpayer appeals. Four districts are up for election this year: District 1, covering much of inland California; District 2, coastal California north of Los Angeles; District 3, representing the Los Angeles area; and District 4, which encompasses the San Diego area.
Who’s ahead in District 1: With 54 percent of votes counted as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove has the lead with 37 percent of the vote. Democrat Nelson Esparza is in second with 30 percent.
Who’s ahead in District 2: With 52 percent of votes counted as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Democratic incumbent Sally J. Lieber will be advancing to the general election with 53 percent of the vote. Democrat John Pimentel is in second with 15 percent.
Who’s ahead in District 3: With 71 percent of votes counted as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gipson has the lead with 26 percent of the vote. Democrat Samuel P. Sukaton is in second with 14 percent.
Who’s ahead in District 4: With 57 percent of votes counted as of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Republican Denis Bilodeau has 49 percent of the vote and will advance to the general election. Democratic State Sen. Tom Umberg is in second with 20 percent.
This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
