Democrat Gavin Newsom rolls over Republican opponent Brian Dahle in California governor’s race

A little more than a year after soundly defeating a Republican-led recall effort, California Gov. Gavin Newsom won a widely expected re-election Tuesday, securing a commanding lead over his GOP opponent, state Sen. Brian Dahle.

The Associated Press declared Newsom the winner just minutes after California polls closed at 8 p.m., granting the 55-year-old San Francisco native — who was first elected in 2018 — his third statewide victory in four years. With 41% of ballots counted as of Wednesday morning, Newsom led Dahle with 58% of the vote.

At a watch party in Sacramento Tuesday night, Newsom celebrated both his resounding victory and the triumph of Proposition 1, a statewide ballot measure championed by the governor to enshrine abortion rights in California’s constitution. He also didn’t pass up on the opportunity to bash national Republicans.

“We have governors that won their reelection tonight in other states that are banning books that are banning speech, that are banning abortion. And here we are in California moving in a completely different direction,” Newsom said. “That’s a deep point of pride.”

The Democratic incumbent added that he planned to use his second term to “do more to advance that cause of freedom and fairness.”

In some respects, Newsom was still riding the momentum from his decisive victory over the recall in September 2021, when 62% of California voters chose to keep him in office. This year, Newsom was so confident about winning another four years in office that he barely bothered to campaign against his challenger.

His re-election website offered no platform or second-term promises. With the exception of comments during their sole debate, which aired on a football Sunday while the Rams and 49ers were on the field, Newsom refrained from attacks on Dahle. Meanwhile, he used campaign donations to buy billboards and TV ads in Texas and Florida, attacking national Republican leaders while spending little on his own race at home.

The campaign of Republican Brian Dahle

Dahle, 57, a Republican farmer from rural Lassen County, presented himself as the choice to “turn the state around.”

During the only gubernatorial debate, Dahle tried to pin California’s biggest woes — from inflation to homelessness to electricity grid shortages — on Newsom. He also blasted the governor for focusing on national aspirations rather than problems afflicting the state.

Those efforts, however, failed to overcome Dahle’s lacking name recognition and limited cash to run a competitive campaign. Dahle raised $2.5 million compared to Newsom’s $24 million, according to campaign contribution records.

It is especially difficult to win a statewide race as a Republican in California, where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1. The last Republican to win a statewide race in California was Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.

Dahle officially conceded to Newsom on Wednesday morning. In a statement about the concession, Dahle thanked his family, campaign organizers and all of his supporters for their efforts.

“Our grassroots campaign across the state was an opportunity to give a voice to so many who had been left behind,” Dahle said in the statement, adding that he looked forward to continuing to work with his legislative colleagues to build “a better future for Californians.”

Gavin Newsom for president?

Some political observers speculated that Newsom was using the run-up to the midterms to position himself for a 2024 or 2028 presidential primary campaign rather than focusing on a noncompetitive reelection race.

If President Joe Biden opts against running for a second term, Newsom is considered one of the top Democratic candidates to replace him. On the Republican side of the aisle, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to launch a bid for the GOP ticket.

DeSantis on Tuesday won his reelection race, handily overcoming a challenge from former Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist.

Despite the speculation, Newsom pledged last month during the gubernatorial debate that he would serve his full second-term if re-elected.

This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:17 PM with the headline "Democrat Gavin Newsom rolls over Republican opponent Brian Dahle in California governor’s race."