California state officials, including treasurer, education superintendent and insurance commissioner, expected to win reelection despite scandals.
Three of California’s eight statewide constitutional officers up for reelection in November — all Democrats — have had missteps or faced allegations of misconduct during their first four years in office, but voters don’t seem to mind.show that all three are likely to cruise to reelection — a phenomenon that political analysts chalk up to the power of incumbency, California’s polarized politics and voter apathy toward lesser-known offices.
Nearly 47% of registered voters in California are Democrats, 24% are Republican and close to 23% are “no party preference.” A Republican has not been elected statewide in California since 2006. Schickler pointed to Newsom’s easy defeat of a recall attempt last year and his expected reelection in November as evidence of an era of “pervasive polarization” over cultural issues that has made it easy for Democrats in California to cruise to a second term. Despite snafus like his dinner at the tony French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley during the COVID-19 lockdown, voters last year overwhelmingly decided to keep Newsom in office.
The insurance commissioner is now at the center of a Fair Political Practices Commission investigation into a complaint that alleges political committees35.9% of the June 7 primary election vote