By Kayla Hoang, Staff Writer; Hien Bui, Staff Writer; and Timothy Roe, Staff Writer
California’s 2018 election was held on Tuesday, Nov. 6, and voters clambered to the polls to cast in their ballots for their preferred candidates. For those who didn’t vote (or those with a very limited sense of knowledge concerning politics), the commotion surrounding the winning and losing candidates can prove to be confusing. Here’s a general guide of the positions, their candidates, and their promised policies.
Senate: Dianne Feinstein (D)
Incumbent Senator of California Feinstein since 1992. For the 2018 election, she faced against Kevin de León (D), a member of the 24th district of the California State Senate. De León promised free public education, gun control, improved energy, immigration reform, and cannabis reform and improved healthcare. Feinstein offered improved health care coverage and lowering Medicare’s age of eligibility, and voluntary insurance policies. As Senator of California, Feinstein’s accomplishments include improving gun laws and policies regarding sexual assault for athletes. Overall, she beat De León with 54.5% of the votes against his 45.5% and will continue to serve as California Senator for the next term.
California governor: Gavin Newsom (D)
For the 2018 election, Newsom ran against John Cox (R) for the seat of California Governor after Jerry Brown’s final term. Despite his multiple attempts for public office, Cox was never elected. He was endorsed by US President Donald Trump to win the Republican vote, and approves of Trump’s plan to fortify border security, the Second Amendment, and hopes to rid California of the rise in gas taxation. Newsom is the incumbent as Lieutenant Governor of California, and also served as mayor of San Francisco for two terms. He offered to further enforce California gun laws and advocated his support for recreational marijuana. Overall, Newsom dominated Cox with a victory of 61.3% to 38.7%.
Lieutenant Governor: Eleni Kounalakis (D)
Kounalakis raced against Ed Hernandez (D). As former US Ambassador under former US President Barack Obama and endorsed by Kamala Harris, Kounalakis offered to help prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, ensure equal pay, making healthcare affordable, and improve the economy in issues with California housing and jobs. Hernandez is a member in the California State Senate, and offered to “expand access to healthcare, lower the cost of prescription drugs, fight for working families, protect our environment, and make higher education more accessible and affordable.” Kounalakis won the election against Hernandez with results of 56.5% to 43.5%.
Secretary of State: Alex Padilla (D)
Padilla, the incumbent California’s Secretary of State, raced against Mark Meuser (R) in the 2018 Election. Meuser’s primary goal was to improve the integrity in the voting polls, especially the issues concerning bloated voter rolls. “We need to remove, from the rolls, those who have died, have moved, non-citizens, duplicate and fictitious registration… The Secretary of State is responsible for maintaining the voter rolls. If the rolls remain bloated, special interests are able to use money and influence to elect bought and paid for politicians.” Padilla, on the other hand, hopes to maintain the voter growth from his first term and ensure citizens eligible to vote will be automatically added when they add or renew their identification or licenses. Padilla won against Meuser with a result of 63.7% to 36.3%, and will continue to serve as Secretary of State.
Attorney General: Xavier Becerra (D)
Becerra, a former U.S. Congressman, beat out Republican Steven Bailey in the 2018 race for Attorney General of California with 60.7% to Bailey’s 39.3%. Becerra is the first Latino to hold the Attorney General office in state history. He has opposed the Trump administration on numerous occasions since being sworn in January of 2017, consistently challenging the president’s efforts to change environmental and immigration policies. Becerra supports the Affordable Care Act, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and the continuance of Social Security and Medicare programs. His top priority as Attorney General is public safety and defending California’s best interests.
Treasurer: Fiona Ma (D)
Fiona Ma defeated Greg Conlon with 61.2% of the votes against 38.8%, securing the position of state treasurer. During her term, Ma plans to make housing more accessible, alleviate high student loan debts, and invest in California’s fire-fighting first responders. Born with a preexisting health condition, Ma “understands the need for quality, accessible and affordable healthcare”. As a member of the Board of Equalization, a public agency that administers taxes and collects fees, Ma has questioned the board’s mismanagement since joining in 2014. As Chairperson of the board in 2016, she called for audits that lead to huge reforms in the agency’s accountability and efficiency.
Notable Members of House of Representatives:
District House 10: Josh Harder (D)
Political newcomer Josh Harder beat out 4-term Republican Jeff Dunham with a narrow 51.3% to 48.7%. Having never previously aspired to go into politics, Harder decided to run for Congress when he felt incumbent Denham had let families down by voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. As a candidate, he focused on “[expanding] access to affordable health care and [putting] families first” while his opponent concentrated on the water crisis. Alongside his stance on healthcare, Harder is advocating for humane immigration reform, disability rights, a sustainable water future for the Central Valley, and improving the quality of public schools.
District House 25: Katie Hill (D)
Katie Hill won incumbent Stephen Knight with 53.2% to 46.8%, flipping another Republican-held House seat in California. With her win, Hill became the state’s first openly LGBTQ Congressperson. Hill backs gun control measures, educational equity, improvement of the mental healthcare systems, LGBTQ rights and Roe v. Wade. During her term, Hill aims to Previous to running for office, Hill was head of a nonprofit, People Assisting the Homeless. Under her tutelege, she scaled it into one of the largest homeless services providers in America. At 31-years-old, the political newcomer decided to announce her candidacy when she felt that her community deserves someone “who understands policy and has experience doing community organizing”.
District House 39: Gil Cisneros (D)
Former Navy officer Gil Cisneros was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 after a close race against Republican Young Kim, and will assume office starting January of 2019. Previously held by Republican Ed Royce, it’s the first time in decades the Democratic Party has occupied the 39th Congressional District seat. Cisneros supports free health care, an end to gun violence, LGBTQ+ rights and Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. He and his wife became philanthropists in 2010 after winning a $266 million Mega Millions jackpot, investing $20 million to provide mentorship in education. Cisneros won against Kim with an outcome of 50.7% to 49.3%
District House 45: Katie Porter (D)
Law professor Katie Porter fought against Mimi Walters with a victory of 50.8% to 49.2%, making the 45th Congressional District another addition to Orange County’s democratic overturning. Porter supports free health care, public education and Social Security. She states that she “will also do everything [she] can to lower prescription drug costs, including giving Medicare and Medicaid to ability to negotiate lower prices on behalf of our seniors.” She is also a fighter against prejudice, supporting LGBTQ rights, and believes in stronger gun control. Porter will assume office in January of 2019.
District House 48: Harley Rouda (D)
Harley Rouda won against Republican Dana Rohrabacher, who was seated from 2013 to 2018, with results of 52.9% to 47.1%. Rouda claimed to treat his employees with care as a successful businessman, in contrast with Rohrabacher who he said had ties with Russia. Rouda opposes President Donald Trump with the belief that he is a threat to democracy, and wants to take the initiative to “help the homeless; protect victims of domestic violence; support veterans, reduce gun violence, advance educational opportunities, strengthen human rights and protect our environment.”
District House 50: Duncan Hunter (R)
Former Marine Corps Duncan Hunter has represented the 50th Congressional District since 2012, maintaining his position after defeating Ammar Campa-Najjar with an outcome of 54.2% to 45.8%. Hunter aims to foster economic growth in America by easing regulations on small businesses, and also believes in the importance of a strong military: “Rebuilding our military and providing for America’s national security is my No. 1 priority in both domestic and international policy.” He supports the Second Amendment, and fights against abortion in maintaining traditional family marriage. While Campa-Najjar wished to focus on personal health and safety, Hunter wants to take steps towards creating opportunities for workers, protecting the interest of taxpayers and enforcing America’s borders.
