California Attorney General election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 California Attorney General election was held on November 2, 2010 to choose the Attorney General
of California
. The primary election was held on June 8, 2010. Incumbent
Attorney General
Jerry Brown
, a Democrat
was elected Governor of California
.
The two major candidates were Los Angeles County District Attorney
Steve Cooley
of the Republican Party
and San Francisco County District Attorney Kamala Harris
representing the Democratic Party
. On November 24, 2010, Cooley conceded to Harris, giving the Democrats a sweep of statewide executive offices. On November 30, Harris declared victory. Harris is the state's first female African-American and the nation's first Asian-American state attorney general when her term begins in January 2011.
along with the strength of Meg Whitman
's well-funded campaign anchoring the California Republican ticket in 2010 made Steve Cooley
the initial favorite by a slight margin to win the election.
Kamala Harris
coalesced Democratic support with her opposition to Proposition 8
, which Cooley promised to defend in court, opposing the unpopular Proposition 23
and any proposal for an SB 1070-style law in California. Harris benefitted from an endorsement and joint appearance with President Barack Obama
at a rally at the University of Southern California
before election day as well as a focus of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party on promoting her candidacy in Los Angeles County towards the final weeks of the campaign, which promised to make the race competitive.
On election night, the headliners on the Republican ticket, Meg Whitman
and Carly Fiorina
were soundly defeated by Jerry Brown
and Barbara Boxer
, with Democrats having a healthy margin to declare victory in every other statewide contest, save for attorney general. Abel Maldonado
, who was defeated for his reelection bid as Lieutenant Governor, stated that errors of the Whitman and Fiorina campaigns dragged Republican candidates on the bottom of the ticket down along with the fading fortunes of Whitman and Fiorina towards the end of the race. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16514744?nclick_check=1
The only bright spot statewide for the California Republican Party that night were early returns showing Cooley with a lead of up to eight points, in which he and many news organizations declared victory. However, the next morning, returns from Los Angeles County, which was believed to be a Cooley stronghold came in strong for Kamala Harris
, removing one of Cooley's key advantages and making the race too close to call. Cooley then canceled a victory press conference scheduled for that day.
Los Angeles and San Francisco County reported their returns, which favored Harris with less than 38,000 votes (45.9% versus 45.7%) separating both candidates at the end of counting that day.
On November 24, 2010, Cooley conceded the race when it was determined that he was going to be unable to overcome the 50,000+ lead that Harris had built up and maintained during the past week, with a majority of the uncounted ballots coming from counties which Harris won. The closest statewide race of the 2010 cycle in California, Cooley is the top vote-getter of the 2010 Republican ticket, while Harris' victory gave the Democratic Party a clean sweep of all of California's statewide offices - a feat the party last accomplished in 2002
.
As of November 4, 2010, both campaigns had declared victory, with around 1,000,000 absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/2010-elections/2010-election-information/november-2010/total-unprocessed-ballots.pdf The Harris campaign stated that uncounted ballots will reinforce their candidate's current lead, while Cooley's campaign stated that uncounted ballots will put their candidate ahead. The unprocessed ballots were roughly split evenly between counties that favor each candidate, with analysts saying that uncounted ballots would be the deciding factor in this race.
As of November 10th, Cooley was leading by 9,555 votes (0.1%). However, on November 16th, Harris was ahead again by 25,379 (0.4%) votes.
The California secretary of State's office said it might be weeks before the winner is determined. Election officials had until Nov. 30 to tally all the votes.
as candidates in the primary election for Attorney General. Candidates who won their respective primaries and qualified for the general election are shown in bold.
California Attorney General
The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The primary election was held on June 8, 2010. Incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Attorney General
California Attorney General
The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The...
Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
, a Democrat
California Democratic Party
The California Democratic Party is the state branch of the Democratic Party in the state of California, headquartered in Sacramento. It is chaired by veteran Democratic politician and former United States Representative John L. Burton, who succeeded Art Torres in April 2009. It is the majority...
was elected Governor of California
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
.
The two major candidates were Los Angeles County District Attorney
Los Angeles County District Attorney
The District Attorney of Los Angeles County prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County, California....
Steve Cooley
Steve Cooley
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Cooley is an American politician. As a Republican, he has been a prosecutor for 27 years and has been the Los Angeles County District Attorney since his election in 2000, in which he defeated incumbent two-term District Attorney Gil Garcetti, a Democrat...
of the Republican Party
California Republican Party
The California Republican Party is the California affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party chairman is Tom Del Beccaro and is based in Burbank, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. The RPC also has a headquarters in Sacramento....
and San Francisco County District Attorney Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris is an American attorney. She is the 32nd and current Attorney General of California following the 2010 California state elections. Harris has worked as an author and a politician and has served as District Attorney of San Francisco since 2004...
representing the Democratic Party
California Democratic Party
The California Democratic Party is the state branch of the Democratic Party in the state of California, headquartered in Sacramento. It is chaired by veteran Democratic politician and former United States Representative John L. Burton, who succeeded Art Torres in April 2009. It is the majority...
. On November 24, 2010, Cooley conceded to Harris, giving the Democrats a sweep of statewide executive offices. On November 30, Harris declared victory. Harris is the state's first female African-American and the nation's first Asian-American state attorney general when her term begins in January 2011.
The campaign
For much of the election cycle following the primary election, political analysts theorized early on that the strength of Cooley's name after being twice elected District Attorney in Democratic-leaning Los Angeles County, being viewed as a rising star in the California Republican PartyCalifornia Republican Party
The California Republican Party is the California affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party chairman is Tom Del Beccaro and is based in Burbank, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. The RPC also has a headquarters in Sacramento....
along with the strength of Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman
Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman is an American business executive. She is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard. A native of Long Island, New York, she is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School...
's well-funded campaign anchoring the California Republican ticket in 2010 made Steve Cooley
Steve Cooley
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Cooley is an American politician. As a Republican, he has been a prosecutor for 27 years and has been the Los Angeles County District Attorney since his election in 2000, in which he defeated incumbent two-term District Attorney Gil Garcetti, a Democrat...
the initial favorite by a slight margin to win the election.
Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris is an American attorney. She is the 32nd and current Attorney General of California following the 2010 California state elections. Harris has worked as an author and a politician and has served as District Attorney of San Francisco since 2004...
coalesced Democratic support with her opposition to Proposition 8
California Proposition 8 (2008)
Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections...
, which Cooley promised to defend in court, opposing the unpopular Proposition 23
California Proposition 23 (2010)
Proposition 23 was a California ballot proposition that was on the November 2, 2010 California statewide ballot It was defeated by California voters during the statewide election by a 23% margin.. If passed, it would have suspended AB 32, a law enacted in 2006 that is in extenso, legally referred...
and any proposal for an SB 1070-style law in California. Harris benefitted from an endorsement and joint appearance with President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
at a rally at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
before election day as well as a focus of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party on promoting her candidacy in Los Angeles County towards the final weeks of the campaign, which promised to make the race competitive.
On election night, the headliners on the Republican ticket, Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman
Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman is an American business executive. She is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard. A native of Long Island, New York, she is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School...
and Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina is an American business executive and a former Republican candidate for the United States Senate representing California. Fiorina served as chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005 and previously was an executive at AT&T and its equipment and technology spinoff,...
were soundly defeated by Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
and Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
, with Democrats having a healthy margin to declare victory in every other statewide contest, save for attorney general. Abel Maldonado
Abel Maldonado
Abel Maldonado is an American politician who was the 48th Lieutenant Governor of California. On November 23, 2009, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Maldonado as his nominee for Lieutenant Governor to fill the vacancy created by John Garamendi's election to the United States House of...
, who was defeated for his reelection bid as Lieutenant Governor, stated that errors of the Whitman and Fiorina campaigns dragged Republican candidates on the bottom of the ticket down along with the fading fortunes of Whitman and Fiorina towards the end of the race. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16514744?nclick_check=1
The only bright spot statewide for the California Republican Party that night were early returns showing Cooley with a lead of up to eight points, in which he and many news organizations declared victory. However, the next morning, returns from Los Angeles County, which was believed to be a Cooley stronghold came in strong for Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris is an American attorney. She is the 32nd and current Attorney General of California following the 2010 California state elections. Harris has worked as an author and a politician and has served as District Attorney of San Francisco since 2004...
, removing one of Cooley's key advantages and making the race too close to call. Cooley then canceled a victory press conference scheduled for that day.
Los Angeles and San Francisco County reported their returns, which favored Harris with less than 38,000 votes (45.9% versus 45.7%) separating both candidates at the end of counting that day.
On November 24, 2010, Cooley conceded the race when it was determined that he was going to be unable to overcome the 50,000+ lead that Harris had built up and maintained during the past week, with a majority of the uncounted ballots coming from counties which Harris won. The closest statewide race of the 2010 cycle in California, Cooley is the top vote-getter of the 2010 Republican ticket, while Harris' victory gave the Democratic Party a clean sweep of all of California's statewide offices - a feat the party last accomplished in 2002
California state elections, 2002
California's state elections were held November 5, 2002. Necessary primary elections were held on March 5. Up for election were all the seats of the California State Assembly, 20 seats of the California Senate, seven constitutional officers, all the seats of the California Board of Equalization, as...
.
Counting the Votes
In early returns on election night, Cooley held a lead of up to eight points and declared victory. However, the morning after on November 3rd, the race became too close to call http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/attorney-general/] when Kamala Harris took the lead in Los Angeles County, which was widely expected to go to native son Cooley, making the race competitive. Cooley then canceled a victory press conference scheduled for that day. Los Angeles and San Francisco County reported their returns, which favored Harris with less than 38,000 votes (45.9% versus 45.7%) separating both candidates at the end of counting that day.As of November 4, 2010, both campaigns had declared victory, with around 1,000,000 absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/2010-elections/2010-election-information/november-2010/total-unprocessed-ballots.pdf The Harris campaign stated that uncounted ballots will reinforce their candidate's current lead, while Cooley's campaign stated that uncounted ballots will put their candidate ahead. The unprocessed ballots were roughly split evenly between counties that favor each candidate, with analysts saying that uncounted ballots would be the deciding factor in this race.
As of November 10th, Cooley was leading by 9,555 votes (0.1%). However, on November 16th, Harris was ahead again by 25,379 (0.4%) votes.
The California secretary of State's office said it might be weeks before the winner is determined. Election officials had until Nov. 30 to tally all the votes.
Candidates
The following were certified by the California Secretary of StateCalifornia Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of California is the chief elections officer of that U.S. state. The Secretary of State is also responsible for the California State Archives, as well as chartering corporations. The Secretary of State is elected to four year terms, concurrent with the other constitutional...
as candidates in the primary election for Attorney General. Candidates who won their respective primaries and qualified for the general election are shown in bold.
American Independent
- Diane Beall TemplinDiane Beall TemplinDiane Beall Templin was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the 1996 election, the 2004 election, and the 2008 election....
, attorney and founder of Advocates Law and Real Estate
Democratic
- Rocky DelgadilloRocky DelgadilloRockard John "Rocky" Delgadillo is an American politician. He is the 6th and former City Attorney of Los Angeles, California.-Career:*Teacher / Coach, Los Angeles Unified School District, Franklin*Attorney, O’Melveny & Myers...
, attorney and former Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
City AttorneyLos Angeles City AttorneyThe Los Angeles City Attorney is an elected official whose job is to prosecute all of the misdemeanor criminal offenses within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The General Counsel Division of the office provides legal counsel for the city by either defending the city or acting...
who ran in the Democratic primary in 2006California Attorney General election, 2006The 2006 California Attorney General election occurred on November 7, 2006. The primary elections took place on June 6, 2006. Former Governor Jerry Brown, the Democratic nominee, easily defeated the Republican nominee, State Senator Chuck Poochigian, for the office previously held by Democrat Bill... - Kamala HarrisKamala HarrisKamala Devi Harris is an American attorney. She is the 32nd and current Attorney General of California following the 2010 California state elections. Harris has worked as an author and a politician and has served as District Attorney of San Francisco since 2004...
, District Attorney of San Francisco - Chris KellyChris Kelly (entrepreneur)Christopher Michael "Chris" Kelly is an American entrepreneur, politician, and lawyer. Until March 16, 2010, he was the Chief Privacy Officer of Facebook...
, attorney and former chief privacy officer of FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as... - Ted LieuTed LieuTed W. Lieu is a Democratic Party California State Senator, who has represented the 28th Senate District since February 18, 2011, after being elected to fill the seat of deceased Senator Jenny Oropeza...
, former military prosecutor and current assemblymemberCalifornia State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
from the 53rd districtCalifornia's 53rd State Assembly districtCalifornia's 53rd State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Betsy Butler of Marina del Rey.-District profile:... - Pedro NavaPedro Nava (politician)California State Assembly member Pedro Nava grew up and attended public schools in Southern California. He studied at San Bernardino Valley College, graduated from California State University, San Bernardino, and obtained his law degree from the University of California, Davis, Martin Luther King...
, attorney and assemblymember from the 35th districtCalifornia's 35th State Assembly districtCalifornia's 35th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Das Williams of Santa Barbara.-District profile:Santa Barbara County - 55.75%*Buellton*Carpinteria*Goleta... - Mike Schmier, employee rights attorney
- Alberto TorricoAlberto TorricoAlberto Torrico is a member of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. He formerly represented the 20th Assembly District which includes Fremont, Newark, Union City and Milpitas among other cities in the East Bay...
, assemblymember from the 20th districtCalifornia's 20th State Assembly districtCalifornia's 20th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Bob Wieckowski of Fremont.-District profile:Alameda - 24.72%*Castro Valley - 25.43%*Fairview*Fremont...
, former Majority Leader of the State Assembly, and workers' rights attorney
Green
- Peter Allen, attorney, former prosecutor, administrative law judge, and consumer advocate
Libertarian
- Timothy Hannan, attorney, mediator and arbitrator
Peace and Freedom
- Robert Evans, attorney, activist, former Recording Secretary of the Peace and Freedom Party
Republican
- Steve CooleySteve CooleyStephen Lawrence "Steve" Cooley is an American politician. As a Republican, he has been a prosecutor for 27 years and has been the Los Angeles County District Attorney since his election in 2000, in which he defeated incumbent two-term District Attorney Gil Garcetti, a Democrat...
, Los Angeles County District AttorneyLos Angeles County District AttorneyThe District Attorney of Los Angeles County prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within the jurisdiction of Los Angeles County, California.... - John C. EastmanJohn C. EastmanJohn C. Eastman is an American law professor and politician. He is the Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law and former Dean at Chapman University School of Law. in Orange, California...
, constitutional law attorney and former dean of Chapman University School of LawChapman University School of LawChapman University School of Law, commonly referred to as Chapman Law or Chapman Law School, is a private, non-profit law school located in Orange, California. The school offers the Juris Doctor degree , combined programs offering a JD/MBA and JD/MFA in Film & Television Producing, and LL.M... - Tom HarmanTom HarmanThomas George Harman is an American politician. He is a Republican member of the California State Senate who had previously been a three-term member of the California State Assembly. Both seats represent portions of Orange County....
, attorney and state senatorCalifornia State SenateThe California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
representing the 35th districtCalifornia's 35th State Senate districtCalifornia's 35th State Senate District is one of 40 Senate Districts. It is currently represented by Republican Senator Tom Harman of Huntington Beach.-District profile:...
Democratic
Republican
Others
General election polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Steve Cooley (R) | Kamala Harris (D) | Undecided/Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk University | October 21–24, 2010 | 34% | 35% | 31% |
| Los Angeles Times/USC | October 13–20, 2010 | 40% | 35% | - |
| David Binder Research | September 23–27, 2010 | 27% | 30% | 43% |
| The Field Poll | September 14–21, 2010 | 35% | 31% | 34% |
| The Field Poll | June 22–June 25, 2010 | 37% | 34% | 23% |