She was trailed by fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez, a 10-term congresswoman from Orange County.
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In a race to fill the state’s first open U.S. Senate seat in 24 years, Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez will advance to November’s general election.
Harris earned her way into general election season by bagging 40 percent of the June 7 election in a crowded field of candidates that saw Sanchez finish second at 17 percent with almost half of all precincts reporting.
U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez and her husband Jack Einwechter of Orange walk to their poling place Tuesday at Orange High School before casting her ballot in Orange, Calif. Sanchez is running against California Attorney General Kamala Harris for the United States Senate seat replacing retiring Sen.
Beyond the absence of a Republican on November’s ballot, the election will be significant for another reason. In fact, thanks in part to the “jungle primary” system, her candidacy heading into Tuesday was supported by a number of prominent Republicans.
The vote Tuesday resulted in a historic first, when Californians sent two Democrats, both minority women, to the November runoff.
If the Democrats do prevail, it would be the first time since voters started electing senators a century ago that Republicans have been absent from California’s general election ballot for the Senate.
With the presidency at stake, voter turnout in the November contest could double compared to the primary.
Carrick said Harris’ gambit to vastly outspend Sanchez on TV ads in the primary failed to garner its intended result, siphoning away support so Harris could face a Republican in the runoff.
Carrick said the Sanchez campaign is trying to build a coalition that will “cross party lines, cross regional lines – every kind of line you can imagine”.
With 3.7 million votes tallied, Harris had about 1.5 million votes, or 40 percent.
And you all know I am a proud daughter of California and I could not be more proud than tonight when I look at who spoke in this so important, very important election. Harris would be the second black woman elected to the Senate, while Sanchez would be among the first Latinas. Both Harris and Sanchez would contribute diversity to the Senate; Harris would be the second African-American woman to ever occupy the chamber while Sanchez would be the first Latina.
Jason Roe, another Republican consultant, said GOP donors looking to weigh in on the race in other policy areas like jobs and the economy would be motivated by “the lesser of two evils”.
Sanchez faces an uphill battle in toppling Harris. Overall, 45 percent of California voters are registered as Democrats, 27 percent as Republicans, and 23 percent are registered as having “no party preference”.
Clegg and other Harris campaign strategists ticked off a list of Harris’ strong showing among primary voters in every region of the state and every ethnic group.
“It’s obvious Republicans don’t have a Republican choice”.
“They may look at the situation and say, ‘Wow, Hillary Clinton really needs my help”. But “we are going to try to appeal to everybody”.
She added that Latino voters may turn out en masse in November to oppose presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his fiery anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel said Sanchez had the opportunity to make inroads with Republicans, given Harris’ prominence in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.
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“Whoever can speak to the values of conservatives and moderates will win”, Steel predicted.
