California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the California Association of Realtors Legislative Day in Sacramento on April 27, 2022. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo)
Gavin Newsom will serve another four-year term as California’s governor after his opponent conceded defeat in the Nov. 8 midterm election.
“I’m honored to have earned the trust and vote of so many Californians,” state Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) in a statement posted on Twitter. “Our grassroots campaign across the state was an opportunity to give a voice to so many who have felt left behind.”
Newsom was leading the gubernatorial race with about 57.6 percent of the vote over Dahle with approximately 42.4 percent, according to unofficial election results posted by the Secretary of State, as of the morning of Nov. 9, with 100 percent of precincts partially reporting.
“The @GOP want to scare you into voting for them today,” wrote Newsom in a post on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon. “Here’s your reminder that life in a blue state means: lower murder rates, lower gun death rates, longer life expectancy, higher GDP, and higher minimum wage. Don’t believe the @GOP lies.”
Newsom, a progressive Democrat, was elected to his first term in 2018, when his predecessor Gov. Jerry Brown (D) reached the term limit after eight years in office.
Newsom served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1997 to 2004, as the mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2010, and as lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2019.
The governor also survived a recall election on Sept. 14 last year. His closest rival was conservative radio host Larry Elder, who chose not to run in the primary.
Newsom raised about $10.5 million for his campaign from Jan. 1 to Oct. 22, compared to Dahle’s $2.5 million for the same period, according to the latest report from the California Secretary of State.
Republican gubernatorial candidate, state Sen. Brian Dahle, right, thanks supporters while accompanied by his family, from left to right, son Reagan, daughter Roslyn, wife Megan, and son Chase during a celebration at an election night gathering in Sacramento on June 7, 2022. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo)
Dahle, a farmer and small business owner, has served on the state Senate since 2019. He also represented California’s First Assembly District, a seat now held by his wife, Assemblywoman Megan Dahle (R). Before he was elected to the Assembly, Dahle served on the Lassen County Board of Supervisors for 16 years.
“Today is an opportunity for new leadership in #CA. Go vote,” wrote Dahle in a Tuesday morning post on Twitter.
Dahle has criticized Newsom’s criminal justice reform policies that “foolishly released thousands of criminals from prison,” according to a campaign statement, and has panned Democrats for spending billions of dollars to solve California’s homeless crisis, only to make the problem “worse than ever.”
With Californians facing record inflation and historically high gas prices, rent costs, and electric utility rates, Dahle campaigned on making the state a more affordable place to live. He fought against Newsom’s COVID-19 shutdowns, pledged to protect water rights for farming, and create jobs in rural California.
Newsom, whose aunt was once married to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s brother-in-law, is widely rumored to have presidential aspirations that could interrupt his next term as governor if he decides to run in the 2024 Democratic primaries.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom laugh as they pause from voting and spot photographers above, at a voting center in Sacramento on Nov. 8, 2022. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo)
However, Newsom downplayed speculation about his presidential ambitions in a recent CBS interview, saying “it’s not the direction that I’m leaning into” and “it’s not the moment.”
In the same interview, Newsom said Democrats nationwide are getting “destroyed” on messaging.
“We’re getting crushed on narrative. We’re going to have to do better in terms of getting on the offense and stop being on ... defense,” he said.
Polls have suggested Newsom would win handily, and he didn’t bother to submit a candidate statement for the Official Voter Information Guide.
According to the Associated Press, Newsom used “some of the tens of millions of dollars in his campaign account to pay for ads in other states on gun control, abortion rights and other issues as part of his attempt to reshape the national Democratic Party’s message.”
About 54 percent of likely California voters said the state is headed in the wrong direction, according to a statewide survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) from Oct. 14 to 23. Yet, 55 percent supported Newsom as governor over Dahle with 36 percent support.
The candidates participated in a single debate together in San Francisco on Oct. 23.
