Cox is a 62-year-old white conservative in a state where the electorate is increasingly young, brown and liberal. He runs for office a lot, and has yet to win. He dropped out of the 2004 race for U.S. Senate in his home state of Illinois, where he debated the eventual winner, Barack Obama. He ran for president in 2008 and lost again. This time out, he has become that rare Republican who did not vote for Trump in 2016 but wrangled his endorsement anyway.<doc-sep>Gavin Newsom, the favorite of the California Democratic Party’s core liberal base, coasted to a first-place finish in Tuesday’s primary election for governor and faces a November showdown with John Cox, a multimillionaire Republican hitched to the far-right policies of President Trump. The results mark a stunning defeat for former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, representing the fall of a politician who embodied the growing power of the Latino electorate when he was elected mayor in 2005. Villaraigosa conceded late in the evening, urging those who voted for him to give their support to his opponent. For the record: In the June 6 Section A, an article about the California governor’s race said gubernatorial candidate John Cox ran for the U.S. House and Senate twice in Illinois, failing to reach the primary in all three. He failed to move past all three. “I’m asking you to get behind Gavin Newsom,” said Villaraigosa, surrounded by his family. “I’m asking you to stand up and pressure every one of us — Democrat and Republican alike — pressure every one of us to stand up for you, to fight for you, not just for ourselves, but for all of us for an America and a California where every one of us are growing together.” Newsom, 50, a former San Francisco mayor who is currently serving his second term as California’s lieutenant governor, will face Cox, 62, an Illinois transplant and real estate investor who ran for the U.S. House and Senate twice in Illinois, failing to reach the primary in all three. In 2008, Cox also launched a campaign for president before dropping out when he failed to gain any traction. Advertisement At Newsom’s election night party in San Francisco, the Democrat vowed to fight for universal healthcare and tackle the state’s housing affordability crisis, while promising to offer policy solutions instead of angry rhetoric. “In politics today, there’s too much anger,” Newsom told his supporters. “Instead, we offered answers. Resistance with results.” Cox has poured nearly $5 million into his bid for governor, but his political fortunes grew considerably when Trump fired off a tweet endorsing him in the final weeks of the campaign. After a five-year hiatus from political office, Villaraigosa hoped to recapture the magic that led to his two terms as mayor of Los Angeles, but failed to stitch together support from enough Latinos, moderates and lower-income Californians to finish in the top two. Where the candidates for California governor stand on the state’s biggest issues » Cox declared a second-place victory Tuesday night and wasted no time blasting Newsom and the Democratic Party for California leading the nation in poverty, and government regulations that he said have made homes unaffordable, leading to an explosion of homelessness. In a preview of his general election campaign, Cox pinned the unpopular new gas-tax increase and the so-called sanctuary state policy squarely on Newsom. “Mr. Newsom, you’ve had eight years, and your party has made a colossal mess of this once golden state,” Cox told supporters at an election night party held at the U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego. Cox said California is in desperate need of a leader with business sense. Advertisement “Businesspeople have been elected to office as governor all across this nation to clean up the messes that the politicians have made,” Cox said. Newsom also had a few words for Cox on Tuesday night, yoking the Republican to a president who remains extremely unpopular in California. “California’s vision and America’s values are one and the same,” Newsom said. “But our values, as you know, are under assault. We’re engaged in an epic battle, and it looks like voters will have a real choice between a governor who will stand up to Donald Trump and a foot solider in his war on California.” 1 / 16 The day after the primary Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox is interviewed by Megan Tevrizian at KNSD in San Diego. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 16 With his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom at his side, California Democratic candidate for governor, Lt. Gov Gavin Newsom speaks at a victory party at Verso, in San Francisco. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 16 Surrounded by supporters, California Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox is greeted at the podium with a kiss from his wife, Sarah, before speaking at his California Primary election night party at the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 16 California gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa walks off stage after speaking to his supporters on election night at the City Market Social House in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 16 California gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa is hugged after conceding. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 16 Gavin Newsom is all smiles at his election night party in San Francisco right before CNN called the race for him. Behind him is his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles TImes) 7 / 16 Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson introduces California gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa on election night at the City Market Social House in downtown Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 16 California Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox and his wife, Sarah, turn in their ballots after voting at the San Diego Registrar of Voters on Monday. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 16 Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom gets a high-five from his son, Hunter, 6, after casting his ballot in the Calif. primary election with his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and children; Brooklynn, 4, Montana, 8, and Dutch, 2, at the Masonic Lodge Fairfax in Larkspur. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 16 California Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox takes a photo with a supporter after addressing supporters at his California Primary election night party at the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego.<doc-sep>Update: Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and Jon Cox, a Republican, emerged from a crowded field in the governor’s race in California to advance to the general election, according to The Associated Press, as did Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, in the Senate race. In key House races, Democrats seemed poised to avoid being shut out of the November balloting under the state’s so-called “top-two” primary system. Read more about the primary night in California, and about races from New Jersey to Montana. LOS ANGELES — The votes in a big election day in California have been cast, and the country is eagerly awaiting the results. Key battles include seven Republican-held congressional seats Democrats hope to flip in the fall and a race to succeed Jerry Brown as governor. All of this has been complicated by California’s unconventional election system: The top two finishers in Tuesday’s nonpartisan, open primary will face each other in November. And that is causing headaches for both parties. Here’s how to get up to speed: • Need a primer to understand the stakes of the California races? Start here. And here’s an explanation of how the state’s unusual primary system works.<doc-sep>Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT >> WE HAVE TO RADICALLY RETHINK OUR TRAINING PROGRAMS. WE HAVE RADICALLY REIMAGINE OUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM. WE HAVE TO RADICALLY RETHINK THE WAY WE APPROACH EDUCATING OUR WORKFORCE IN ORDER TO ME THE ECONOMIC NEEDS OF THE FUTURE, AND I SAY THAT BY MAKING THIS POINT. WE CAN CUT OUR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN HALF IN THIS REGION BY JUST ADDRESSING THE FACT THAT THERE ARE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS AVAILABL TODAY WITHIN A SEVEN MILE RADIUS OF WHERE WE ARE SITTING THAT ARE NOT FEEL BECAUSE WE ARE NOT DEVELOPING THE SKILLS TO MATCH THOSE POSITIONS. >> THE TROUBLE WITH OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM IS THAT IT IS NOT COMPETITIVE SYSTEM AND I WANT TO GIVE EVERY PARENT A VOUCHER SO THAT THEY CAN SHOP FOR A SCHOOL. WHEN THOSE SCHOOLS HAVE TO GET REALLY EFFICIENT AND QUALITY ORIENTED, THEN PARENTS WILL BE IN CHARGE OF THE SCHOOLS. I GOT TO TELL YOU, TEACHERS WILL GET PAI LIKE ROCK STARS AND BASEBALL PLAYERS, BASED UPON THE QUALITY OF THE TEACHING. >> THE COST OF EDUCATION AND HOUSING HAV PRICED MIDDLE AND LOWER MIDDLE INCOME CALIFORNIANS TO A POINT WHERE THEY ARE THINKING OF LEAVING CALIFORNIA. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE INVEST IN EDUCATION SO THAT CHILDREN HAVE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY IN THE FUTURE. IF YOU DON’T HAVE AN EDUCATION, YOU CANNOT COMPETE IN THE 21ST CENTURY. >> FIXING OUR BROKEN EDUCATION SYSTEM BY GIVING PARENTS A CHOICE, TO SEND THEM TO THE BEST CHARTER SCHOOL OR EVEN HOMESCHOOL IF THE WISH, AND ALLOWING OUR LOCAL DISTRICTS TO DECIDE OUR CURRICULUM. >> WE MUST GET THE ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUE STRAIGHTENED OUT. THERE ARE CHARTERS THAT ARE REALLY FOR PROFIT BUSINESSES THAT A CHERRY PICKING KIDS AND NOT ACCEPTING SPECIAL ED KIDS. THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE DOING CROOKED THINGS I FIND THE PRINCIPLE OF CONVERTIBLE OR HAVING FAMILIE PAY $30,000 A PERSON TO PUT THEIR KID IN SCHOOL AND THEN GUARANTEEING THEY WILL GET INTO BERKELEY. THAT IS ILLEGAL. WE HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE ACCOUNTABILITY THING. >> WE ARE MAKING THE ECONOMY WORK FOR MORE PEOPLE. THAT BEGINS WITH AN EDUCATION, FROM CHILDCARE TO EARLY LEARNING, PRE-K AND ALL THE WAY TO COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO A MUCH BETTER JOB AT EDUCATING AND TRAINING OUR Y Advertisement Newsom, Cox lead race for California governor With front-runner nearly locked in, voters could decide 2nd-place finisher Share Shares Copy Link Copy In the final days before the primary election, the top six candidates for California governor were crisscrossing the state to gather voters and rally supporters for their campaigns. However, with one Democrat taking a commanding lead, the second-place spot is up for grabs in California's top-two primary system.Democrat Gavin Newsom, current California lieutenant governor and former mayor of San Francisco, remains the clear front-runner, according to major polls. Newsom has said publicly that he would like to face a Republican in the November general election to consolidate voters in favor of the Democratic candidates on the ballot. On his website, Newsom touts that he will fight for universal health care, gun safety, criminal justice reform and marriage rights for all. Click here to read more on Gavin Newsom.John Cox is a Republican businessman who has the support of President Donald Trump and believes it's time for a businessman to run California. According to recent polls, Cox has the second-place spot as he continues to push his motto of "take back California." In a statement on his website, Cox emphasizes that "it's time to fight back, not by trying to out-spend and out-tax the Democrats, but by taking our government back. He argues that the political system has become corrupted by the influence of special interest money and thinks California is in trouble with the way things are currently being run. Click here to read more on John Cox.++MORE: Political campaign ads heat up ahead of California's June primaryDemocrat Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles, is still in the running for the second-place spot, according to the most recent polls, including a survey from UC Berkeley's Institute of Government Studies. Villaraigosa wants to give everyone a voice, not just those in Sacramento, and is focused on closing the gap between the rich and the poor. He believes in investigating in infrastructure and ensuring every child has access to quality education, while making quality heath care accessible to everyone. Click here to read more on Antonio Villaraigosa.Travis Allen, a GOP state assemblyman and small business owner, said he has a proven winning record to overcome statistical odds and defeat a Democrat. Allen has a five-point plan to take back California by cutting taxes, getting tougher on crime, fixing roads and reducing traffic, providing the best education in the country and completing the state water project. As a state assemblyman, Allen has fought for lower taxes, safer communities and better schools, according to his website. Having been a financial adviser, Allen said he saw the damage done to his clients by government overregulation and bad policies, according to his website. Click here to read more on Travis Allen.Democrat John Chiang, current state treasurer and former state controller, has increased his voice in calling the California gubernatorial race a scam against California voters as Newsom is calling for a Republican challenger versus a Democrat. Chiang argues that he has saved billions of dollars through audits and debt restructuring and stands for fiscal responsibility. As the son on immigrants, Chiang wants to fight to "protect California immigrants from President Trump's deportation machine," according to Chiang's website. He is a supporter of the #MeToo movement and has released a plan to end sexual harassment in the state government. Click here to read more on John Chiang.Delaine Eastin, a Democrat, became the first and still only woman to be elected and serve as California state superintendent of public instruction. She took on the tobacco companies and helped pass Prop 10, a measure that increased taxes on tobacco products, and also fought for better teacher training and increased parental involvement, according to her website.<doc-sep>
Click HERE if you’re having trouble viewing the gallery on your mobile device. What’s worth more — $23 million for political ads, or two tweets from President Donald Trump? The “top-two” primary election for California’s next governor could provide an answer, as former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Republican businessman John Cox grapple for second place and a ticket to the November general election. The top two vote getters advance, regardless of party affiliation. Every major public poll has shown Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom in the lead. But which of his rivals makes it into the general will shape the state’s political scene over the next five months, with big implications on critical races down-ballot. If Newsom and Cox advance, as most recent polls have predicted, it will presage a more traditional Democratic versus Republican face-off in November. Newsom would be heavily favored, although Cox would aim to sell himself as a no-nonsense small businessman, and argue that Newsom is too far to the left of the average Californian. If Villaraigosa edges Cox for second, it would make history as the state’s first intraparty governor’s election. It would likely be unpredictable and highly competitive, with supporters on both sides pouring tens or hundreds of millions of dollars into the contest. Start your day with the news you need from the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our new Morning Report weekday newsletter. While the governor’s race is the marquee contest on Tuesday, the returns will provide a buffet for political junkies on a scale California election-watchers haven’t seen in years. There are more than a half-dozen crucial congressional races up and down the state that could make or break Democrats’ dreams of retaking the House. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will learn her challenger, and voters will set the stage in other statewide elections. In the Bay Area, voters will decide the fate of a high-profile recall of Judge Aaron Persky, who faced national scorn for his relatively lenient sentencing of a college student convicted of sexual assault, along with several other hard-fought races for district attorney and sheriff. They’ll also decide on measures about raising regional tolls to pay for transit projects and spending more on parks. But the top-of-the-ticket race will set the stage for November. Villaraigosa and Cox each have their own wild card: big-money support and tweets from the president. In order for Villaraigosa to make it into the top two, he needs strong turnout, especially among Latino voters, election observers say. He’s been aided by a wave of ads paid for by an independent group bankrolled by pro-charter school billionaires like Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, which has raised roughly $23 million over the last two months. (Unions have also put in about $5 million supporting Newsom.) Mindy Romero, director of the California Civic Engagement Project at UC Davis, said Latino turnout has typically been lower in midterm primaries. Villaraigosa “needs the Latino vote to over-perform this primary, that’s pretty clear,” she said. Cox, who has put more than $4 million of his own money into the race, has risen in the polls since Trump tweeted two endorsements of him last month, helping him consolidate GOP support. But opposition to the president has also sparked anti-Trump activism in the Golden State. State Treasurer John Chiang declared himself “the anti-Trump” in an interview in Oakland last week. Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen has done the opposite, reminding GOP voters that he’s the only candidate who voted for the president in 2016. (Cox went for libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, a decision he now says he regrets.) Delaine Eastin, the former state schools chief, tried to distance herself from her male opponents, releasing a late ad vowing to “smash the patriarchy.” On the other hand, the imperative of responding to the ever-present drumbeat of news from the Trump administration has also made it more difficult for the hopefuls to focus on their own proposals and platforms. “Everything is shaped in contrast to Donald Trump,” Newsom told reporters last week. The race has also been sidetracked by the head-scratching game theory of the top-two primary system. Newsom’s campaign has worked to prop up Cox with ads highlighting his candidacy, in order to guarantee an easier general election — tactics that Villaraigosa argues will hurt other Democrats in crucial down-ballot races. Supporters of Villaraigosa, meanwhile, have tried to elevate Allen in order to split the GOP vote.