Jerry Brown easily won re-election, defeating Neel Kashkari — the little-known and underfunded Republican who is a former Goldman Sachs banker and Treasury official. Mr. Brown, 76, was seeking his second consecutive term as governor; the state’s term limits bar him from serving a third. He also served as California’s governor in the 1970s.
A deluge of outside money poured into three California U.S. House contests — in districts 7, 26 and 52 — leaving voters begging for an end to the commercials and a seemingly limitless string of mailers. In all three races, Republicans were attempting to unseat freshman members of Congress, and each race came down to a few thousand votes.
In District 52, several pundits called the race between Scott Peters, a Democrat and the incumbent, and Carl DeMaio, a Republican and former San Diego councilman, one of the most competitive races in the country. Mr. DeMaio has considerable name recognition, is openly gay and barely 40 years old, and has seized on Congress’s unpopularity, calling himself a “new generation” leader. During aSeptember debate the men criticized each other’s records. Mr. DeMaio blamed his opponent for a San Diego pension crisis (Mr. Peters said the city suffered from “a couple decades of bad financial practices” before his election), while Mr. Peters suggested that his challenger had aligned himself with the Tea Party (something Mr. DeMaio has denied).
He has also been accused of sexual harassment by two former staffers — and he has denied any improper action.
In District 7, which is evenly split between the two major parties, the incumbent, Ami Bera, a Democrat and first-time congressman who is a doctor, highlighted his centrist views and distanced himself from his chamber’s lackluster record. He promoted his opposition to congressional pay raises and perks, as well as his membership in a bipartisan group called No Labels. This did not stop his challenger, Doug Ose, who served as a representative for three terms starting in 1998, from criticizing him. “I think No Labels is a do-nothing group,” he has said."I think Congressman Bera has established a record as a do-nothing member.” Mr. Ose supports a repeal of the Affordable Care Act and has highlighted his support of legislation that reduced taxes.
In District 26, Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, a Republican, supports abortion rights and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He was seen as a real threat to the incumbent, Julia Brownley, a first-time congresswoman representing a heavily Latino, traditionally Democratic district in Southern California. Ms. Brownley is a former state assemblywoman who recently claimed a critical role in the passage of a federal bill designed to address shortcomings in accessibility and accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs. This was once considered a “sleeper” race, but as of Oct. 24, Ms. Brownley had spent nearly $2.3 million on her bid for re-election, while Mr. Gorell had spent just under $1 million.
—JULIE TURKEWITZ