Newsom Wins Lt. Governor, Harris Trails For AG
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP) -- Democratic rising star Gavin Newsom declared victory late Tuesday night in his bid for California lieutenant governor, while San Francisco's top prosecutor Kamala Harris trailed in the state attorney general's race.
"As your next Lieutenant Governor, I will spare no effort and waste no time. I am ready to hit the ground running. I am prepared to be Lieutenant Governor for every Californian – helping to steer our state through its toughest storms," Newsom, the 43-year-old San Francisco mayor, said.
With voters electing Jerry Brown as governor over Republican Meg Whitman, Democrats figured Newsom would outduel incumbent Abel Maldonado for lieutenant governor. Newsom initially set his sights on becoming California's next governor, but his bid lost steam during the primary.
Newsom garnered national attention for his support of gay marriages, while Maldonado roiled conservatives in the GOP for casting the deciding vote last year while he was state senator on a budget that boosted taxes.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley Cooley was the sole Republican leading a Democratic rival, Harris, in a statewide race.
Cooley is known for his moderate stance toward California's three-strikes law and has been credited for creating a public corruption unit that has recently ensnared leaders of several nondescript suburbs ringing Los Angeles.
Harris has been recognized as a reformer for trying to improve laws aimed at social problems that help lead to crime.
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