The AP projects Malia Cohen elected as California Controller

The Associated Press predicts that voters have elected Malia Cohen as California's next top chief fiscal officer.

She is also the state's first Black controller. 

Cohen, a Democrat and former chair of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' budget and finance committee, hopes to make it easier for people to report fraud after more than $20 billion of fraudulent unemployment benefits were paid out during the pandemic. She wants to use her auditing power to identify problems within agencies and push for solutions to prevent them from happening again.

Cohen defeated Republican Lanhee Chen, a policy fellow on leave from the conservative think tank the Hoover Institution. Chen, a former policy adviser to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, won the June primary, but the four Democrats running against him collectively won more votes. He marketed himself as someone who would be an independent watchdog of the state's finances.

The race brought in widespread attention, support and money from the GOP in and out of the state with nearly double the number of registered Democrats as Republicans. Chen raised $3.3 million in campaign contributions for the year through the October reporting deadline, doubling what Cohen raised over that time period. He even brought in more money than Brian Dahle, the Republican candidate for governor.

The state controller, a post held since 2015 by Democrat Betty Yee, has the power to disburse state funds and audit government agencies. The controller also serves on more than 70 boards and commissions, including one that incentivizes renewable energy production and another that gives bonds to nonprofit colleges.