Key questions linger as California wraps up primaries |
Key questions linger as California wraps up primaries
The closely watched primaries for California governor and Los Angeles mayor were too close to call early Wednesday as half a dozen states held key contests set to shape the November midterms.
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton (R) and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra were leading the race to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), with 62 percent of the vote in as of 7:30 a.m. ET Wednesday. However, the vote is expected to skew more Democratic as more votes are counted, and it could take days — or even weeks — for a final call on which two candidates will advance to November’s general election.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) has been projected to make it into the November election and will either face former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, a Republican, or Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a Democrat.
Other Tuesday primaries across the country, however, cemented matchups that could determine control of Congress this fall, including a potentially competitive race for Senate in Iowa. President Trump was also dealt a blow in the Hawkeye State when his favored candidate lost out in the GOP primary for governor.
Here’s a few outstanding questions from Tuesday’s called and uncalled races:
Will Democrats sweep California gubernatorial primary despite messy campaign?
Suspense, surprise and disarray characterized the wide-open race for governor of California, which was still too close to call as of 7:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday. Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) has not formally projected whether either Becerra, Hilton or Steyer have made it into the November election.
The field seemed frozen for part of last year amid speculation that former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla (D) could enter the ring. But without the Californian A-listers in the mix, dozens of candidates piled in from both sides of the aisle.
The crowded field then stoked fears of a Democratic lockout in the primary. Under California’s election system, candidates of all parties appear on the same ballot, and the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of their label.
Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) appeared poised to lead the field last year, but a controversial pair of viral videos curtailed her momentum. Former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) started the year as the frontrunner, but he dropped his bid and left Capitol Hill amid sexual misconduct allegations that he’s denied.
Now, Becerra has largely filled that vacuum, but observers have also suggested billionaire Steyer should not be counted out as the other top-two contender in the final stretch,........