Winners and Losers from CA Primary

The votes from California’s primary are still being counted. Remember: Ballots postmarked by Tuesday will still be tallied as long as they arrive by March 12, contributing to the state’s notoriously long waits for final results.

But there are already some clear winners — and losers:

Progressives: With Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee out of the U.S. Senate race, progressives are dismayed by their losses, and upset that Rep. Adam Schiff elevated Republican Steve Garvey during the campaign to consolidate the Democratic vote in November, writes CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu. Some progressive groups told Stella that having a Schiff-Garvey matchup could backfire — boosting GOP turnout and dissuading young voters of color to vote. But despite Schiff’s tenuous popularity among progressives, it’s unlikely that he’ll lose to a Republican, said one Democratic strategist.

Huntington Beach: The losses continued for progressives and Democrats alike in Huntington Beach, where residents are voting to ban flying the LGBTQ+ Pride Flag on city property and to require voter identification in municipal elections, explains CalMatters Capitol reporter Alexei Koseff. Though the city’s Republican mayor said that “this is the direction that the community has been wanting to go,” the state’s Attorney General and Secretary of State warned city officials that the voter ID proposal ran afoul with state law.

Legislative races: Rusty Hicks, who upset some by not giving up his post as state Democratic Party Chairperson while campaigning, has some catching up to do to finish in the top two in Assembly District 2. And the Villapuduas’ grand plan to both win seats isn’t panning out so well. Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, a Stockton Democrat, is a distant third in state Senate District 5. Edith Villapudua, who switched from that race to seek her husband’s seat, is also lagging in third in Assembly District 13.

Congress: Assemblymember Vince Fong — a Bakersfield Republican who had to go to court just to run for the U.S. House seat formerly held by past Speaker Kevin McCarthy — has a healthy lead for one of two spots in District 20. Another Republican, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, and Democrat Marisa Wood are locked in a tight battle for second place.

Trump sweeps delegates: As of Wednesday, former President Donald Trump had 79% in the Republican presidential primary, compared to 18% for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who suspended her campaign after Super Tuesday. That’s far higher than the 50% plus one he needed to win all 169 delegates, after the state GOP changed its rules to support Trump.

S.F. goes tough on crime: Despite the city’s reputation of being a progressive stronghold, San Francisco residents passed two tough-on-crime ballot measures: Proposition E to expand the police department’s use of surveillance and facial recognition technology, as well as loosen reporting requirements; and Prop. F to require those receiving city welfare to be screened for drugs.

Prop. 1: It’s still too close to call whether Californians approve of overhauling mental health policy. Even with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s backing, a nearly $21 million war chest, and an early lead in the polls, voters remain split on rerouting funding to house people with behavioral needs and borrowing billions to pay for treatment bends.

Campaign consultants: They won even if their candidates didn’t. In 60 Assembly races, 20 state Senate races and Prop. 1, consultants have made more than $10.7 million so far this election cycle, Capitol Weekly reports. The next two biggest spending categories: TV or cable airtime and production costs ($10.3 million) and campaign literature and mailings ($7.6 million).