Jones Wins Democratic Nod for Insurance Post; GOP Race Still in Flux
On Tuesday, Assembly member Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) defeated Assembly member Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) for the Democratic nomination for state insurance commissioner, the Los Angeles Times' "PolitiCal" reports (York, "PolitiCal," Los Angeles Times, 6/8).
As of Wednesday morning, the winner of the Republican race remained unclear. With 97% of precincts reporting, state Department of Insurance enforcement lawyer Brian Fitzgerald had a lead over Assembly member Mike Villines (R-Clovis) by about 8,000 votes (Van Oot, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 6/9).
The new insurance commissioner is likely to face increased responsibilities as California works to implement the new federal health reform law (AP/San Jose Mercury News, 6/8).
Other Election Results
Other winners of Tuesday's primary election include:
- Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman (R), who beat California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (R) for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Whitman will face Democratic nominee state Attorney General Jerry Brown in November;
- Former Hewlett Packard executive Carly Fiorina (R), who beat former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell (R) and Assembly member Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) for the GOP senatorial nomination. Fiorina will attempt to unseat Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) in November (Decker, Los Angeles Times, 6/9);
- Incumbent Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado (R), who beat state Sen. Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) for the GOP nomination for his post;
- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D), who beat Los Angeles City Council member Janice Hahn (D) for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor (Ortiz, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 6/9);
- San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris (D), who beat former Facebook attorney Chris Kelly for the Democratic nomination for attorney general; and
- Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley (R), who beat attorney John Eastman for the Republican nomination for attorney general (Ortiz, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 6/8).
Primary System Reform
Also on Tuesday, three-fifths of California voters voted to approve a ballot measure that would reform the state's primary system, the New York Times reports.
Proposition 14 would create a so-called "top two" system in which an open primary would allow all candidates to run on a single ballot, regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates who received the most votes would advance to the general election (McKinley, New York Times, 6/9).
Additional Coverage
Headlines and links to additional coverage of California's primary election are provided below.
- "Meg Whitman Won with Money, Marketing" (Chang, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 6/8).
- "California Republicans Tap Women To Lead Ticket" (Espo, AP/San Diego Union-Tribune, 6/9).
- "Fiorina Wins Big" (Hotakainen, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 6/9).
- "Whitman and Fiorina Win in Calif.; Lincoln Prevails in Ark." (Hulse, New York Times, 6/8).
- "Whitman Easily Defeats Poizner" (Marinucci/Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6/9).
- "It's Over: Whitman Beats Poizner in GOP Battle for Governor" (McLaughlin, San Jose Mercury News, 6/8).
Broadcast Coverage
Headlines and links to broadcast coverage of Tuesday's primary are provided below.
- "California Election Results" (Krasny, "Forum," KQED, 6/9).
- "An Historic Win in Republican Primary Race for Governor" (Russ, "KXJZ News," Capital Public Radio, 6/9).
- "Election Night Updates: Whitman Clinches Nomination for Governor, Jerry Brown Looks Ahead" ("California Report," KQED, 6/8).
- "Will Fiorina's Primary Strategy Backfire in California's General Election?" (Small, "KPCC News," KPCC, 6/8).