Gavin Newsom Elected California's Next Governor

LOS ANGELES, CA — Lt. Gov Gavin Newsom easily sailed to victory in California's race for governor, and the state that loves to needle President Donald Trump is likely to be an even bigger thorn in his side under Newsom's liberal leadership.

Newsom, was projected the winner of the California governor's race by outlets such as CNN and the Los Angeles Times almost as soon as the polls closed. Newsom defeated San Diego Republican John Cox, but he campaigned against the president, vowing to fight the Trump agenda on everything from gun control and climate change to LGBT rights. More liberal than the pragmatic Gov. Jerry Brown, Newsom's leadership is likely to continue the progressive direction of the Golden State.

Once again, in his victory speech, Newsom vowed that California would take the fight to Trump.

"Tonight, America’s biggest state is making the biggest statement in America," he told supporters at an election night party in downtown Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times. “This in every way, shape and form is California's moment. The sun is rising in the West, and the arc of history is bending in our direction. This is not just a state of resistance. California is a state of results."

With just 26 percent of the vote in at 10:07 p.m. Tuesday, Newsom garnered 56 percent of the vote to Republican John Cox's 44 percent.

Cox conceded defeat surrounded by supporters at San Diego’s U.S. Grant hotel Tuesday night.

His campaign gave voice to the struggles of California residents frustrated with the direction of the state, he told them.

“We highlighted the incredible struggle that the people of this state have had for years under the people running this state,” Cox said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “We identified the needs of these people, the fact that they can’t afford housing, they can’t afford gasoline, they can’t afford the basics of life.”

Newsom and Cox campaigned frantically in the final day of the race to be California’s next governor because if 2016 taught us anything, there is no sure thing in politics.

From day one, Newsom led in the polls by large margins, but like the president who endorsed him, Cox surprised the experts in edging out better known candidates in the June primary. Since then, Golden State Republicans have rally around him to the point where Newsom is taking nothing for granted.

"I'm anxious, always, because there's a lot at stake. I don't want to experience what we experienced in 2016," Newsom told the Los Angeles Times Monday.

Cox had hoped voters wouldn't take the outcome for granted either. California voters, he said, are clamoring for change.

FOR FULL COVERAGE OF MIDTERM ELECTION DAY IN CALIFORNIA: California Election 2018: Live Updates

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"We're going to win because people in this state really want change," he told the Los Angeles Times on the eve of the election.

The polls, however, belied his confidence.

A poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies headed into election day had Newsom leading Cox by 58 to 40 percent among likely California voters. It’s not just the Democrats supporting Newsom, according to the poll. The Democratic candidate showed
strong support among non- partisan voters, who now outnumber Republicans statewide. He was also handily beating Cox among Latino voters, who favor Newsom over Cox 73 percent to 26 percent.

Early in the campaign Cox distanced himself from President Donald Trump, whom he did not vote for. But Trump, who maintains popularity with his Republican base, endorsed Cox, helping to coalesce his support among Republican voters.

Cox, who moved to the San Diego area from Illinois, moved closer to Trump’s policy positions, echoing some of Trump's themes on the campaign trail, including his plan to "clean out the barn" in Sacramento as Trump promised to "drain the swamp" in Washington, D.C. Cox has taken a hard line on immigration — including supporting construction of a wall along the U.S.- Mexico border and ending "sanctuary state" policies — though he has also said he is against separating children from their parents at the border.

It’s a strategy with a ceiling in California where Democrats dominate, and anti-immigrant rhetoric grates on many voters. Newsom has welcomed the Republican strategy, positioning himself as a liberal foil.

Newsom vowed to oppose the Trump administration on immigration and gun control policies. He’s fully embraced a progressive approach to government, calling for universal preschool and two years of free community college. It’s an approach that puts him well to the left of Brown.

After serving two terms as Brown's second-in-command, Newsom has proposed a goal of building 3.5 million new homes by 2025 through an expansion of the low-income housing tax credit program and other incentives. Another of his top priorities is universal healthcare for Californians and he has expressed support for Senate Bill 562 that aims to create a single-payer system, although Newsom has also raised concerns about the hurdles for passage and funding.

Newsom rose to national prominence early on in his tenure as mayor of San Francisco, where he was elected in 2004. Just a month after his swearing in, he directed the city-county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in violation of state law. It opened the door to the political and legal battles that brought same-sex marriage to California.

From 1996 to 2004, Newsom served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, where he championed a policy initiative dubbed "Care Not Cash," slashing cash benefits for homeless individuals in favor of housing and services.

Cox had sought to toe Newsom’s long career in government with some of the state’s most pressing problems.

He repeatedly pointed to the state's high poverty rate, underperforming schools and lack of affordable housing as problems that happened "on Gavin Newsom's watch" saying he would solve the state's housing shortage by streamlining approval processes and changing the California Environmental Quality Act. Cox had also focused on repealing Brown's $52 billion gas tax increase, which he calls a regressive tax, urging voters to support Proposition 6. Cox's proposals on education focused on school choice and reallocating funds rather than new government spending.

City News and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.

Photo: SAN DIEGO, CA-MAY 5: California GOP Gubernatorial Candidate John Cox (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

JUNE 05: Democratic California gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)