SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to romp over his scarcely known challengers in Tuesday’s primary election and emerge with a good chance at winning reelection in November, though the size of his first-round victory is unclear immediately following the closing of polls in California.
Newsom’s dominance comes almost nine months after he easily swatted down a Republican-led recall attempt. The one-two punch showed just how formidable he remains in California politics even after a first term in which he was tested by the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic, six of the largest wildfires in state history and an ever-worsening homelessness crisis.
A poll released last week by the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times showed that Newsom’s most likely November opponent is state Sen. Brian Dahle, a Northern California Republican who has never run for statewide office. The poll showed that half of likely voters backed Newsom’s bid for reelection, compared with 10% who supported Dahle.
