CALIFORNIA, USA — California’s Democratic attorney general was on pace to face the Republican Party’s endorsed candidate in the November general election in a state that overwhelmingly favors Democrats, based on early ballot returns Tuesday.
Attorney General Rob Bonta, the only Democrat in the five-way primary field, advanced after winning 58% of the vote shortly after polls closed.
He was trailed by the GOP’s endorsed candidate, Nathan Hochman, with 17%. Hochman is a former federal prosecutor and former assistant U.S. attorney general.
Conservative Republican Eric Early was third, with 14%, while Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, running without party affiliation, had 8% of the vote. Green Party candidate Dan Kapelovitz had 3% in early vote tallies.
The top two vote-getters advance to the November election under California law, no matter their party affiliation.
“No Department of Justice in the country is doing more to stand up to rightwing attacks against our constitutional and legal rights — from defending abortion protections and the right to privacy to strengthening our gun safety laws,” Bonta said in a statement.
He said it was too soon to say which Republican he will face in November, but said both “have dodged basic questions about how they would handle these constitutional and legal issues if they are elected Attorney General.”
Neither Republican immediately responded to requests for comment, nor did Schubert.
RELATED:
Election Results
For updates on the Attorney General race, view the tracker below.
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