Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta overwelms opponents in California Primary

TWITTER / ROB BONTA

Attorney General Rob Bonta and his wife, Mia, thanked his supporters after the polls showed
 he was the frontrunner in the June 7 Primary.

ANALYSIS

California’s first Filipino American Attorney General Rob Bonta easily won the majority of the votes Tuesday to qualify for the November runoff.

Bonta, a Democrat, will face the Republican Party’s endorsed candidate Nathan Hochman in the November general election in a state where voters are overwhelmingly vote Democrat.

"Thank you, California! Humbled by this strong vote of confidence and the resounding message delivered by voters," tweeted Bonta. "Tonight, we celebrate — and tomorrow, we get back to work to fight back against the right wing attacks on our values and fundamental rights. Onward to November!"

With 50% of the vote counted, Bonta was leading the five-way primary field with 54.4% of the vote.

He will most likely face Republican Nathan Hochman, who was a distant second with 18.5% of the vote. Hochman is a former federal prosecutor and former assistant U.S. attorney general.

Under California''s system, the two top vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will run against each other in November.

Bonta was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, to become the state's first Filipino American to become Attorney General. With the June 7 vote, he becomes the first Filipino American to be elected to a statewide political position.

The other Filipino American holding a state-level post is Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye, who was appointed California's 28th chief justice in 2011. The Chief Justice and other members of the California Supreme Court are appointed positions.

It was a double celebration for the Bonta family. The Attorney General's wife, Mia Bonta, who won a special election for State Assembly DIstrict 18, held last fall, Running as the incumbent, she was re-elected because she was unopposed.

Bonta's Primary victory makes him favored to win the office outright in November but he will have to overcome Californians' unease with the apparent crime rate and homelessness.

The high-profile office of Attorney General has long provided both a national stage and a launching pad  to higher office  Vice President Kamala Harris and current U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra were California's top cop before joining the Biden administration. Former Gov. Jerry Brown also used the office as a stepping stone to the Governor's mansion.

As an unapologetic progressive, Bonta has made fighting hate one of the top priorities of his office. He also has taken positions on national issues that pit him and California against the Trump-led radical right of the GOP, which plays favorably with the state's Democratic voters.

“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.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.