The 2014 primary season ends (Sept. 9: DE, MA, NH, NY, RI)

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

In early results for California, we have

Governor:
Brown 59.6%
Kashkari 16.0%
Donnelly 12.5%


Controller (crazy 4-way race with 2 Ds and 2 Rs):
Betty Yee 24.0%
Perez 21.8%
Evans 21.3%
Swearengin 21.2%

49.1% in...

The CA state GOP might not be out of this just yet, we might have a runoff between two Republicans!

Swearengin (R) 23.6%
Evans (R) 22.2%
Yee (D) 22.0%
Perez (D) 20.0%
Wells (G) 5.7%
Blair (D) 5.5%

The third wheel Democrat and Green candidate might suck enough votes from the two Dem frontrunners to put the two Republicans in the runoff.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

With 98.8% reporting Perez takes 2nd as predicted. Los Angeles is 97.4% reporting.

John A. Pérez
(Party Preference: DEM)   634,112   
21.7%
    Betty T. Yee
(Party Preference: DEM)   628,496   
21.5%
    David Evans
(Party Preference: REP)   633,074   
21.6%

Wow! Perez made the runoff by about 2,400 votes out of nearly 3,000,000 cast.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

Yep. Perez is still up with about 2400 with 100% in. Wow. And last night it looked like he would be the GOP's spoiler in this race.

I'm not sure this is over yet. Absentee ballots dropped of on election day are generally not counted right away.

Aren't the democrats the ones who put that system into place? It's hilarious they keep being screwed by it.

It was a Proposition. The Democrats and Arnold did refer it to the voters as part of Republican Abel Maldonado's extortion for voting for a budget. Too bad that the Proposition reducing the 2/3rds majority to simple for passing a budget didn't pass a little earlier. I think all 6 political parties opposed the Proposition.

I think it's probably safe to say that Perez will make the runoff. Don't absentees tend to favor Democrats?

Schwarzenegger and Maldonado were the only two people who publicly backed prop 14 in 2010 to chance the primary system. The legislature had to stomach sending the prop to the voters as part of a compromise to get the budget through. Basically everyone prayed it wouldn't pass, but it did 53-47ish.

I thought it still took a 2/3 majority to pass a budget? No reason to change that rule since the legislature's majorities tend to be so lopsided anyway.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

Yep. Perez is still up with about 2400 with 100% in. Wow. And last night it looked like he would be the GOP's spoiler in this race.

I'm not sure this is over yet. Absentee ballots dropped of on election day are generally not counted right away.

Aren't the democrats the ones who put that system into place? It's hilarious they keep being screwed by it.

It was a Proposition. The Democrats and Arnold did refer it to the voters as part of Republican Abel Maldonado's extortion for voting for a budget. Too bad that the Proposition reducing the 2/3rds majority to simple for passing a budget didn't pass a little earlier. I think all 6 political parties opposed the Proposition.

I think it's probably safe to say that Perez will make the runoff. Don't absentees tend to favor Democrats?

Schwarzenegger and Maldonado were the only two people who publicly backed prop 14 in 2010 to chance the primary system. The legislature had to stomach sending the prop to the voters as part of a compromise to get the budget through. Basically everyone prayed it wouldn't pass, but it did 53-47ish.

I thought it still took a 2/3 majority to pass a budget? No reason to change that rule since the legislature's majorities tend to be so lopsided anyway.

That statement confuses me. Everyone prayed it wouldn't pass, but it did? Doesn't that seem to imply that a majority of people wanted it to pass?

I'm guessing party leadership didn't want it to pass.

Sorry, too vague. I meant every political party in the state condemned the prop.

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

The second Republican is narrowly in second place for CA Controller now. Democratic turnout was poor, and that's very bad with the stupid top two system. It really needs to be repealed.

Current numbers.

John A. Pérez
(Party Preference: DEM)
665,109   
21.6%
Betty T. Yee
(Party Preference: DEM)
660,103   
21.4%
David Evans
(Party Preference: REP)
666,252   
21.6%

How many ballots are left to count?

About a million.

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/statewide-elections/2014-primary/unprocessed-ballots-report.pdf

Hopefully since LA (Perez territory) makes up the largest portion of uncounted ballots, they will come in strong for him. Or is that wishful thinking?

[Senate Minority Leader Lord Voldemort]

The second Republican is narrowly in second place for CA Controller now. Democratic turnout was poor, and that's very bad with the stupid top two system. It really needs to be repealed.

Current numbers.

John A. Pérez
(Party Preference: DEM)
665,109   
21.6%
Betty T. Yee
(Party Preference: DEM)
660,103   
21.4%
David Evans
(Party Preference: REP)
666,252   
21.6%

How many ballots are left to count?

About a million.

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/statewide-elections/2014-primary/unprocessed-ballots-report.pdf

Hopefully since LA (Perez territory) makes up the largest portion of uncounted ballots, they will come in strong for him. Or is that wishful thinking?

The late votes have always been consistently D-leaning. They drive up D numbers more often than they drive up R numbers.

Yes, but the idea is that LA is Perez's home turf, which should boost his numbers over the other two Democrats' numbers.