The Democratic governor of the US state of California, Gavin Newsom, has apparently successfully fended off his election. According to forecasts, around two-thirds of voters voted in the special vote on Tuesday to keep him in office – the television stations CNN, ABC and NBC unanimously predicted that during the night.
A group of Republicans had launched the voting against Newsom. The 53-year-old was criticized by the conservative side, among other things, because of his liberal immigration policy and strict corona regulations. Several dozen opposing candidates ran to replace him as governor – none of them, however, was a political heavyweight.
California is a Democratic stronghold. If Newsom had actually lost his post prematurely and had he been replaced by a Republican, it would have been a sensation and a disaster for the Democratic Party. High-ranking party members up to US President Joe Biden had used their political weight to support Newsom in the election campaign.