Surprises Could Be Coming For CA's Controller, Attorney General Races

CALIFORNIA — If the attempt to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office taught the Golden State anything, it's that California is as blue as ever. Though Newsom is back on the ticket seeking reelection, the most exciting races on the statewide ballot are controller and attorney general. That's largely because those are the two races where a Republican has a real chance to win a statewide election and where a Democratic incumbent has a serious challenge on his hands.

Still, those races rarely generate much voter excitement, and voter turnout reflects that. Just 13 percent of registered voters had turned in their ballots as of Saturday ahead of Tuesday's Primary Election, according to Political Data Inc.

Despite initial apathy among voters, here are two races that could result in some surprises for the Democratic state.

Attorney General

During a year where mass shootings and smash-and-grab robberies dominated headlines, the bid to win the attorney general's seat may be the most contested race on the Tuesday primary ballot.

Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta will face independent Sacramento Dist. Attny. Anne Marie Schubert, Republican former Assistant U.S. Atty. Gen. Nathan Hochman and Republican Los Angeles attorney Eric Early.

The stakes are high in this race as the office enforces civil rights laws, goes after businesses committing crimes against consumers such as mortgage fraud as well as crimes that threaten California's natural resources, and represents the state in U.S. Supreme Court cases.

"There is a feeling that there's sort of attack that's happening, that California is not enforcing its laws," said Christian Grose, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California. "Maybe some of the left flank of the Democratic Party is leading some of the statewide officials. But also California is a liberal state. It's a place where bleeding edge ideas come from so it's not surprising that some of the attacks against Democrats would go in that direction."

In his short time in the seat, Bonta made history on two fronts: He was one of the most progressive choices for the post and is California's first attorney general of Filipino descent.

Amid calls for criminal justice reform, Bonta's position remains vulnerable.

"Anxiety about rising crime is a significant factor for voters in the upcoming election," said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney. "Voters tend to think the attorney general has more of an impact on crime rates than they really do, and challengers are effectively hammering the issue of rising crime on the campaign trail."

Schubert spent more than 30 years as a prosecutor and said that much of her work revolved around advocating for victims of violent crime.

"These are the people who I have sat with, I've listened to, I sometimes cried with who I've advocated for and who I've represented in courtrooms," she said.

READ MORE: Sacramento DA Anne Marie Schubert To Run For CA Attorney General

Some of her notable accomplishments included her role in the prosecution of the Golden State Killer and fighting to uncover a fraud scheme within the state's unemployment agency. She may be Bonta's biggest challenger.

"California's criminal justice system is in chaos," Schubert said in April. "When politicians pass law after law or issue directive after directive that erode accountability and public safety, that's chaos. ... When billions of dollars are stolen from the state's Employment Development Department [and] are put in the hands of criminals to buy guns — that is chaos."

If elected, Schubert would be the first openly lesbian woman to serve as state attorney general.

"Anne Marie Schubert, in particular, has touted her record as a prosecutor," noted Pitney. Whether it will resonate with voters remains to be seen."

"Historically on crime, California voters tend to have something of a conservative streak — rejection of cash bail (abolition), refusal to abolish the death penalty,” Pitney said. "The question is whether this conservative streak and anxiety about rising crime would be enough to have Democratic voters crossing party lines to vote for a challenger such as Schubert (no party preference) or Nathan Hochman (Republican)," Pitney said.

Controller

State controller is typically a post that generates a slim margin of interest among California voters. But this year, it may be the most interesting contest. The state controller is tasked with being a fiscal watchdog, overseeing more than $100 billion in receipts and disbursements of public funds a year. The controller's office also extends fiscal guidance to local governments and works to address fraud and abuse of tax dollars.

Incumbent Controller Betty Yee will leave the post in January due to term limits. Four Democrats, one Republican and a Green Party candidate are competing for her seat.

"The one thing that Republicans have going in their favor nationally is that midterm election, the party who is out of power tends to vote more. So you know, we might see more Republican turnout in California," Grose said.

As far as funding, Democrat Yvonne Yiu has pulled ahead of the other candidates, raising nearly $6.1 million, but Lanhee Chen may be garnering the most interest among voters.

“Chen is going to be the top vote-getter,” Rob Stutzman, a Republican political consultant told the Los Angeles Times. "Amongst the Democrats, it’s a race for name identification, and often that goes to whoever has the most money spent on their behalf.”

Yiu, a former financial advisor for 25 years, has described herself as the only candidate "with the experience and expertise to save taxpayers money."

She's even funded her own campaign.

“If I put my own money into the race, that makes me independent and the voters will never have questions about whether I have their best interests at heart because I’m not taking lobbyists’ money and money from special interest groups,” Yiu said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Chen, a financial advisor and educator, has cited fraud in the Employment Development Department, and how money is being used within public schools, prisons and Medi-Cal for his platform.

He has identified a lack of transparency around the state's spending.

"There are a lot of people I talk to every day, Democrats, Republicans, Independents alike, who don't have faith that state government is for them anymore," Chen said.

He's never held an elected position but he has advised Republican Mitt Romney's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, as well as Steve Poizner in the 2010 gubernatorial race.

READ MORE: What Would Lanhee Chen Do As California Controller?