The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Daniel Donner, and Carolyn Fiddler, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar.
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Leading Off
● California: Many California primaries have yet to be called, with large numbers of ballots remaining to be tallied; the state, which recently adopted universal mail voting, allows ballots to be counted so long as they're postmarked by Election Day and received a week afterward. But there's another major reason for caution: There's now a huge gulf in partisan preferences over when and how to vote, which means that each batch of newly counted ballots can differ greatly from those counted just before or after. Consequently, results can and do shift dramatically over time.
In practice, these preferences meant that the first votes that appeared on primary night leaned more Democratic. Largely Democratic voters comfortable with mail voting or early voting cast their ballots first, so their votes were counted first. Republican voters under the influence of Donald Trump, meanwhile, have learned to hate mail voting, so they're now more apt to return their ballots in person on the day of the election. These votes, counted second, shifted the results in most races in a more GOP-friendly direction.
In fact, of 13 key races we're tracking in the Golden State, fully a dozen saw Democratic performance decline when looking at the results 13 hours after polls closed compared to just one hour after, and many of those drops were considerable. For instance, in the GOP-held 27th Congressional District, the Democratic candidates collectively enjoyed a 54-43 advantage at midnight ET, but Republicans were ahead 50-47 by noon on Wednesday.
It's possible that these results will start to bend back toward Democrats in the coming days as we've historically seen later-arriving mail ballots tilt to the left. But with larger and larger percentages of the vote already tallied, it gets harder to move the needle much with each further batch of ballots. Still, expect further changes ahead, especially in close races. In the meantime, you'll find our recaps of all the major races below.
The Downballot
● June is a jumbo primary month, so we've once again brought Daily Kos Elections editor Jeff Singer on this week's edition of The Downballot to preview all of the major races. There's the perennial loser (but one-time winner!) Danny Tarkanian's quest to oust a sitting GOP congressman in rural Nevada; Republican Rep. Mo Brooks' attempt to come back from the dead in the Alabama Senate runoff; two very different member-vs.-member House primaries in Illinois; and a whole heck of a lot more.
Of course, there were also primaries this week, so naturally co-hosts David Nir and David Beard recapped the biggies: two Republican congressmen in Mississippi who were forced into runoffs, a high-profile former Trump cabinet official who might lose a comeback bid, and a crushing defeat for a South Dakota ballot measure designed to make it harder for progressives to pass other ballot measures.
Please subscribe to The Downballot on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You'll find a transcript of this week's episode right here by noon Eastern Time.
Senate
● CO-Sen, CO-Gov: Democratic super PACs are running ads in an effort to boost state Rep. Ron Hanks and businessman Greg Lopez in the June 28 GOP primaries for Senate and governor, respectively.
The Colorado Sun reports that a group called Democratic Colorado has dropped $780,000 on TV spots attacking Hanks for saying, in the words of the narrator, that "Joe Biden's election was a fraud," and for wanting to ban abortions, messaging that's intended to help him appeal to conservatives. The intervention comes as Hanks' intra-party foe, wealthy businessman Joe O'Dea, is preparing his own ad campaign against the state representative, who has not run any commercials himself; a super PAC called American Policy Fund has also spent $600,000 to help O'Dea win the nod to take on Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.
It's a similar story in the contest for governor where the Sun says that Colorado Information Network has deployed $690,000 to help ensure that Lopez, who like Hanks has struggled with fundraising, is Team Red's nominee against Democratic incumbent Jared Polis. The narrator tells the audience that Lopez "supports Trump and agrees with him that the 2020 election was stolen" before a clip plays of the candidate saying, "I have no exceptions when it comes to being a strong supporter of pro-life." Lopez is going up against University of Colorado Regent Heidi Ganahl, who is Colorado's only statewide-elected Republican, later this month.
● GA-Sen: Please enjoy this legitimately entertaining ad from Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in which he gets tackled by a peewee football player.
Governors
● HI-Gov: Tuesday’s candidate filing deadline brought one unexpected blast-from-the-past when former Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, who was the 2010 and 2014 Republican nominee for governor of Hawaii, turned in paperwork for a bid to succeed termed-out Democratic Gov. David Ige. We detail Aiona’s career, including his pair of losses during the last decade, in our post here.
Aiona, who did not initially do anything to publicize his newest attempt (though strange campaign rollouts are nothing new for him), is one of the more prominent Republicans in this overwhelmingly blue state, but he doesn’t quite have a clear path through the Aug. 13 primary. Nine other candidates are also in, including Honolulu City Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi and former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion B.J. Penn, though it’s too early to know how serious they are as contenders.
Democrats, meanwhile, had no unexpected developments before filing closed. Lt. Gov. Josh Green, who has a large war chest and the backing of several powerful unions, has long looked like the frontrunner in this seven-person field, though no one has released any polls since February. Green’s main opponents are businesswoman Vicky Cayetano, who served as first lady when her husband, Ben Cayetano, was governor two decades ago; and freshman Rep. Kai Kahele, who is relying on public financing.
● KY-Gov: One big question looming over next year's race is whether former Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican who narrowly lost to Democrat Andy Beshear in 2019, will seek a rematch, and while he's refused to answer questions about his plans, an old ally indicates he's thinking about it. State Sen. Ralph Alvarado, who was Bevin's running mate back then, said last month that he'd spoken to the former governor and came away thinking he's "still contemplating" a comeback. Alvarado himself also said around that time that he was considering pursuing a campaign for the top job himself.
The Louisville Courier Journal's Morgan Watkins also talked to a few other potential GOP contenders recently. Somerset Mayor Alan Keck expressed interest last year, and he's reiterated that he's still looking at this contest. And while Secretary of State Michael Adams appeared to take his name out of contention last month, he now says he's still a "maybe." But Watkins writes that Adams says he's not "actively exploring a gubernatorial candidacy" so he still seems reluctant, especially since he's also eyeing a bid to succeed gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron as attorney general.
● MI-Gov: Wealthy businessman Perry Johnson said Wednesday that, while he was "still hopeful" he'd succeed in his federal lawsuit to get on the August Republican primary ballot, he would "consider a write-in campaign" if he gets rejected in court. Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who was disqualified along with Johnson over fraudulent voter petition signatures, has also expressed interest in campaigning as a write-in.
● OK-Gov: Gov. Kevin Stitt's campaign said Tuesday that they were pulling an ad for the June 28 Republican primary after Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater announced he was investigating whether the spot broke state law. The potential problem, as The Oklahoman explains, stems from portions of the commercial extolling Attorney General John O'Connor, a Stitt appointee who is also seeking the GOP nod for that office this month.
The message begins ordinarily enough with a narrator touting Stitt's record, but about halfway through he switches to lauding both Stitt and O'Connor for pushing back on the Biden administration's vaccine mandate and for leading "the fight to overturn Roe v. Wade." During most of that portion Stitt himself is not shown on-screen, while the audience is treated to about seven seconds of footage of just O'Connor. Critics argue all this violates state rules preventing one candidate from contributing more than $2,900 to another contender (the ad ran for $340,000) or from advertising for another candidate within 30 days of the primary.
O'Connor himself has denied he had any knowledge of the spot while state GOP chair A.J. Ferate insisted, "This is Governor Stitt doing an ad for himself, highlighting one of his accomplishments."
House
● FL-10: State Sen. Randolph Bracy has publicized an internal from Impact Research that shows him leading gun safety activist Maxwell Alejandro Frost 29-9 in the August Democratic primary.
● HI-01: Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Ed Case looks safe for renomination in a state where primary voters have long tolerated conservatives, but his only intra-party foe did receive an endorsement from one of the state's most influential unions. Attorney Sergio Alcubilla, who is challenging Case from the left, picked up the backing of the Hawaii State Teachers Association. Alcubilla, though, had less than $10,000 in March, so he still may not be able to put up much of a fight in the August primary. This seat, which is based around Honolulu, is reliably blue turf at 64-34 Biden.
● HI-02: There were no last-minute surprises as filing closed for the Democratic primary to succeed freshman Rep. Kai Kahele, who is leaving to run for governor, in a safely blue seat that's home to a portion of Honolulu as well as Hawaii's more rural Neighbor Islands, the term for every island apart from Honolulu's Oahu. Six Democrats are running, and the two frontrunners appear to be state Rep. Patrick Branco and former state Sen. Jill Tokuda.
Branco would be the state's first Latino member of Congress, as well as the third Native Hawaiian to serve after Kahele and the late Sen. Daniel Akaka. Tokuda, who lost a tight 2018 primary to lieutenant governor, has EMILY's List in her corner.
● MO-01: State Sen. Steve Roberts is out with an internal from Lincoln Park Strategies that shows him trailing freshman Rep. Cori Bush 36-18 in the August Democratic primary, which his team argues shows that the incumbent is vulnerable.
● NY-23: The state Conservative Party on Tuesday endorsed state GOP chair Nick Langworthy even though he still had yet to announce a bid. The filing deadline is Friday but, because GOP and Conservative Party leaders are substituting Langworthy's name for Rep. Chris Jacobs, who previously qualified for the ballot but dropped out last week, the GOP chair doesn't need to collect signatures.
Election Recaps
● CA-Sen: Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla and Republican attorney Mark Meuser will face off both in the special election for the final two months of Kamala Harris' term as well as the regular election for a full six-year term in November. Padilla led Meuser 53-14 in the special and 54-22 in the regular race, with the difference in Meuser's vote share likely because there were four other Republicans in the former but just two in the latter. One Democrat who failed to make any impact at all was wealthy businessman Dan O'Dowd, who spent millions on ads to air a grudge with billionaire Elon Musk (who was not on the ballot) but took just 3% of the vote.
● IA-Sen: Retired Navy Vice Adm. Mike Franken defeated former Rep. Abby Finkenauer for the right to take on Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in something of an upset, beating her by a 55-40 margin in Tuesday's Democratic primary. Franken took just 25% in a losing bid for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2020, but this time, he outraised (and out-advertised) Finkenauer, and internal polls showing him surging went unanswered. However, Grassley, who beat back far-right state Sen. Jim Carlin 73-27, will be the heavy favorite as he seeks an eighth term.
● NM-Gov: Former TV weatherman Mark Ronchetti rolled to an easy 58-16 triumph over state Rep. Rebecca Dow, who'd run to his right in the Republican primary. Ronchetti lost an open-seat bid for Senate by a surprisingly close 52-46 margin in 2020, though this time he will face an incumbent in the form of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. An early May poll from SurveyUSA found Grisham leading just 47-43.
● SD-Gov: Gov. Kristi Noem had no problem stopping state Rep. Steve Haugaard, a former speaker of the state House who tried to run to her right, winning renomination by a 76-24 margin. Noem will be the overwhelming favorite for a second term against her Democratic opponent, state House Minority Leader Jamie Smith.
● CA-03: Navy veteran Kermit Jones, a Democrat, and Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley will square off in November for this open seat in the eastern suburbs of Sacramento that would have backed Trump by a narrow 50-48 margin. Jones led Kiley 39-37 as of Wednesday afternoon, with Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones a distant third at 17.
● CA-05: Republican Rep. Tom McClintock, who chose to seek re-election in the more conservative 5th despite representing a larger portion of the 3rd, easily shrugged off intra-party opposition from Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig and will head to the general election with Democratic attorney Mike Barkley. McClintock leads Barkley 44-37, with Magsig at just 11. This district in the upper Central Valley and Sierra foothills would have voted for Trump 55-43.
● CA-13: Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray holds a 33-31 lead over agribusinessman John Duarte, a Republican, as of Wednesday morning for this 54-43 Biden open seat in the mid Central Valley, though neither top-two slot has been called yet. Financial advisor Phil Arballo, another Democrat, is much further behind at 19%, while a second Republican, businessman David Giglio, has 14%.
● CA-15: Democratic Assemblyman Kevin Mullin has secured a spot on the November ballot with 40%, though his opponent was not yet determined by Wednesday morning. San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, a fellow Democrat, holds a 25-18 lead over businessman Gus Mattamal, the only Republican running in this dark-blue open seat in San Francisco's southern suburbs.
● CA-22: Assemblyman Rudy Salas was the only Democrat running for this Central Valley seat that Biden would have carried 55-42, so it's no surprise he snagged the first slot with 47% of the vote. But Republican Rep. David Valadao is in a scary spot, as he leads former Fresno City Councilman Chris Mathys just 26-19 for second, with many votes left to be counted. Democrats spent late in an effort to boost Mathys past Valadao, and they might yet succeed.
● CA-22 (special): Former Assembly Republican leader Connie Conway defeated Democrat Lourin Hubbard, who is an official at the California Department of Water Resources, 58-42 for the final months of Republican Devin Nunes' term in a historically Republican Central Valley district that favored Trump 52-46. Conway, like Hubbard, did not file to run for a full term anywhere, so she'll be out of office in January of next year. Whether Nunes will still be in charge of Trump's disastrous social media operation then is an open question.
● CA-27: Republican Rep. Mike Garcia and former Democratic Assemblywoman Christy Smith will face off a third time in this district in the northern Los Angeles suburbs that would have gone 55-43 for Biden. Garcia leads Smith 50-35, with another Democrat, Navy veteran Quaye Quartey, far back at 6%. Garcia defeated Smith by 10 points in a 2020 special election but prevailed by just 333 votes in their rematch that fall.
● CA-34: Rep. Jimmy Gomez holds a 52-36 lead over former prosecutor and fellow Democrat David Kim, who held Gomez to an unexpectedly small 53-47 win in 2020, with Republican Clifton Rio Torrado VonBuck taking the remaining 13% this go-round. Both Gomez and Kim have once more advanced to the November general election in this dark-blue district in downtown Los Angeles and nearby areas, setting up one of the most notable all-Democratic contests this fall.
● CA-37: Democratic state Sen. Sydney Kamlager leads with 42% and will advance to November in this heavily Democratic open seat in central Los Angeles and Culver City, though her opponent is not yet determined. Former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry leads Culver City Vice Mayor Daniel Lee, a fellow Democrat, 19-16 for the second slot as of Wednesday morning.
● CA-40: Democrat Asif Mahmood, a physician, holds a 40% lead and has secured a spot on the November ballot in this 50-48 Biden district in eastern Orange County. Although Democrats spent a sizable sum to try to secure a weaker GOP opponent this fall by boosting Mission Viejo Councilman Greg Raths against Rep. Young Kim, the incumbent and her allies fought back with significant last-minute spending, and she holds a 34-25 edge over Raths as of Wednesday morning for the yet-uncalled second spot this fall.
● CA-41: Longtime Republican Rep. Ken Calvert will head to the general election with former federal prosecutor Will Rollins, a Democrat whom he leads 44-36. Redistricting extensively remade this once-conservative seat in the Riverside suburbs, dropping Trump's margin to just 50-49 and potentially putting it in play for the first time.
● CA-42: Democratic Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia has advanced to November with 45% in this heavily Democratic open seat in Long Beach and its nearby suburbs, though his opponent isn't yet certain. John Brisco, who was the sole Republican running here, holds a 29-13 lead over Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia as of Wednesday morning.
● CA-49: Democratic Rep. Mike Levin, who took 50% of the vote on Tuesday night, is still waiting to find out who his November opponent will be, though it's looking like it'll be San Juan Capistrano Councilman Brian Maryott, who currently leads Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett 19-11. Levin beat Maryott 53-47 in 2020 for this suburban San Diego seat that changed very little in redistricting and would have voted 55-43 for Biden.
● IA-03: State Sen. Zach Nunn, an Air Force veteran who served in the Middle East, handily turned aside businesswoman Nicole Hasso, who had Ted Cruz's endorsement, by a 66-19 margin. The outcome likely gives national Republicans their preferred choice to challenge Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne, whose Des Moines-based seat—which would've voted for Trump 49.2-48.8 per Dave's Redistricting App—will be a top GOP target this fall.
● MS-03: The Associated Press has called a June 28 Republican runoff for Rep. Michael Guest and Navy veteran Michael Cassidy. Cassidy, who has attacked the incumbent for voting for a Jan. 6 commission, shocked the political world Tuesday by leading Guest 47.5-46.9―a showing that put the previously unheralded challenger close to winning outright. Guest will now have three weeks to turn things around after that near-knockout.
● MS-04: The AP has also called a GOP runoff between incumbent Steven Palazzo and Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell. Palazzo took a weak first with 32%, while Ezell edged out banker Clay Wagner 25-22 for second; Wagner on Wednesday endorsed Ezell over Palazzo, who is the subject of a long-running ethics investigation into charges that he illegally used campaign funds for personal purposes.
● MT-01: Attorney Monica Tranel, a former Olympic rower, cruised to the Democratic nomination for western Montana's brand-new 1st Congressional District with an easy 65-27 win over nonprofit executive Cora Neumann, but, rather surprisingly, we still don't know who her Republican opponent will be. With an estimated 88% of ballots counted, per the AP, former Rep. Ryan Zinke was clinging to a skinny 41-40 lead on former state Sen. Al Olszewski.
The closeness of the race is unexpected, given Zinke's high profile as a former Trump cabinet member (and Trump's endorsement), plus his massive financial advantage, but Zinke faced serious scrutiny for reportedly spending more time in his wife's hometown of Santa Barbara, California rather than in Montana. Still, even the wounded Zinke would be favored to carry this district, which Trump would have won 52-45.
● NJ-03: Wealthy yacht manufacturer, yoga instructor, and former punk rock singer Robert Healey held off businessman Ian Smith by a 53-38 margin after a nasty GOP primary that was unexpectedly hard-fought given Healey's huge advantages in influential county party endorsements and fundraising. Healey will advance to take on Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who saw his district in Philadelphia's outer suburbs dramatically improve, from a 49.4-49.2 win for Trump to a 56-42 margin for Biden.
● NJ-04: Longtime Republican Rep. Chris Smith, who earned Trump's ire last year after supporting Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill, turned back businessman Mike Crispi by a relatively anemic 58-37 margin. In most circumstances, a 21-point win would be a blowout, but incumbent members of Congress seldom take below 70% in their primaries, and even more rarely finish in the 50s. Trump never followed through on his pledge to endorse a challenger, but the results suggest a more concerted effort in the future could spell the end of Smith's career—if he doesn't decide to retire in the first place. For now, though, Smith will cruise to a 22nd term in this safely red district along the North Jersey Shore.
● NJ-05: Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer got his wish as investment banker Frank Pallotta defeated Marine veteran Nick De Gregorio 50-46 in the Republican primary. Gottheimer beat Pallotta two years ago by a 53-46 margin and had sent out mailers ostensibly attacking him as "too much like Trump" in an unsubtle effort to boost his standing with GOP voters. Gottheimer himself got a boost in redistricting, which upped Biden's margin from 52-47 to 56-43, so he'll have the advantage in defending this seat in the northwestern New York City suburbs and exurbs in November.
● NJ-07: The GOP establishment got its man once again as former state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. swept aside businessman Phil Rizzo 46-24 for the chance at a rematch with Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski. (Democrats will wonder whether Kean, who took 79% in his primary two years ago, could have been stopped had he not faced five other opponents on Tuesday, but alas.) Malinowski beat Kean just 51-49 two years ago, and because fellow Democrats hung him out to dry in redistricting in order to make other seats safer, Biden's margin dropped from 54-44 to 51-47. The incumbent will therefore be in for a very difficult ride as he tries to hold this district in New York City's southwestern suburbs and exurbs.
● NJ-08: Port Authority Commissioner Rob Menendez, who's the son of Sen. Bob Menendez, took 84% of the vote in the Democratic primary to succeed Rep. Albio Sires, who's retiring from this safely blue seat in the Jersey City area.
● NJ-11: Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill will head into the general election against former prosecutor Paul DeGroot, who defeated Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen by a 40-35 margin despite the fact that Selen had won the endorsement of the largest county GOP organization in the district. Sherrill was yet another redistricting beneficiary, as her district in New York City's western suburbs and exurbs jumped from a 52-47 margin for Biden all the way to 58-41.
● NM-02: Las Cruces City Councilor Gabe Vasquez romped to a 76-24 victory over physician Darshan Patel for the Democratic nomination to take on freshman Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell. Democrats heavily altered this southern New Mexico seat in redistricting, flipping it from a 55-43 margin for Trump to a 52-46 edge for Biden, making Herrell one of the more at-risk members of the GOP caucus.
● SD-AL: Sophomore GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson survived a scare by turning back state Rep. Taffy Howard, though his 59-41 margin was unimpressive for an incumbent. Howard had attacked Johnson for failing to promote the Big Lie to her liking and saw an infusion of half a million dollars in outside money for her cause. A super PAC close to party leadership came in with similar sums to save Johnson, who may once again have to face the MAGA brigades in years to come but for now will automatically earn a third term because no Democrats filed to run.
● CA-AG: Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta leads with 55% with 3.3 million votes tabulated, but it’s not quite clear which Republican he’ll face in November. Former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman holds an 18-17 edge over Eric Early, a more Trumpian candidate that Bonta’s allies tried to boost. While the attorney general may not get his preferred opponent, though, he’ll be relieved that Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert is a distant fourth with just 8%; Schubert is a former Republican who became an independent in 2018, and her allies believed her lack of a party affiliation would be an asset in a general election in this blue state.
● SD Ballot: Voters in South Dakota rejected Amendment C, which would have made it far tougher to pass future constitutional amendments, in a 67-33 landslide. The GOP-dominated state legislature put Amendment C before voters to try to stop a Medicaid expansion measure that will be on the November ballot: Had Amendment C passed, Medicaid expansion supporters would have had to win 60% of the vote instead of the simple majority they still need.
● Los Angeles, CA Mayor: Note that the next group of races below, which includes the contests for mayor in Los Angeles and San Jose, district attorney in Orange and Santa Clara counties, and Los Angeles County sheriff, are all formally nonpartisan. Leading vote-getters can avoid a November general election and win outright by earning a majority of the vote. The exception is the recall vote in San Francisco, where voters were presented with a simple yes or no on whether to remove District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, a Republican-turned independent-turned-"pro-centrist, pro-jobs, pro-public safety Democrat," leads Democratic Rep. Karen Bass 42-37 in the contest to succeed termed-out Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti; City Councilman Kevin de Leon is well behind with 8%.
● San Jose, CA Mayor: Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez secured first place with 39% while City Councilman Matt Mahan beat out colleague Dev Davis 32-11 for the second general election spot. Chavez and Mahan, like termed-out Mayor Sam Licardo, are Democrats, but there are some big differences between them.
Chavez is a longtime labor leader, though she also has benefited from super PACs funded by unions and even the San Francisco 49ers. Mahan and Licardo, by contrast, are allies of the area's powerful business community, which often comes into conflict with unions in local elections. (Chavez's decisive 2006 defeat to conservative Chuck Reed began a 16-year period of business-friendly mayors.) Licardo himself has not endorsed Mahan, though his super PAC spent heavily for him in the first round.
Whoever wins in November will be on the ballot again in two years because voters supported Measure B, which will move mayoral races to presidential cycles starting in 2024, by a 56-44 margin. As a result of this change the next mayor will be allowed to stay in office for a total of 10 years instead of the standard eight as long as voters re-elect them in 2024 and 2028.
● Orange County, CA District Attorney: Despite multiple scandals, Republican incumbent Todd Spitzer enjoys a 64-19 lead over Democrat Pete Hardin. Hardin said Wednesday afternoon, "While votes are still being counted, it appears our effort to bring reform to the OC District Attorney's Office will not be successful."
● San Francisco, CA District Attorney: Voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin, a criminal justice reformer whose critics portrayed him as unable to contain unrest at home, by a 60-40 margin. Mayor London Breed will appoint a successor, and her pick will be allowed to run the next time this office is on the ballot because voters also rejected Proposition C by that same 60-40 margin; Prop. C would have also made it extremely difficult to get recall questions on future ballots.
● Santa Clara County, CA District Attorney: Democratic incumbent Jeff Rosen turned back a challenge from former prosecutor Daniel Chung 59-24, while public defender Sajid Khan took 17%. Rosen, a Democrat who beat a GOP district attorney in 2010, argued he's made needed criminal justice reforms, while Khan argued only he would be a "true, real progressive DA." Chung, by contrast, pitched himself as a moderate.
● Los Angeles County, CA Sheriff: Sheriff Alex Villanueva, a conservative Democrat who has been the subject of numerous scandals during his first term, looks set for a general election fight against former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna. With 750,000 votes in Villanueva leads with 34% while Luna leads LASD Lieutenant Eric Strong 25-13, though the AP has not yet made a call for second. Luna has faulted the incumbent for having "mismanaged" the department and argued that he'll "modernize" it.
