Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and businessman John Cox will face each other in the race to become California’s next governor this November after Californians voted them into the top two spots in Tuesday’s primary, the Associated Press has determined.
The results came as a relief to Republicans, who faced the possibility of finishing without a candidate in the governor’s race, as early polling failed to indicate a clear choice for second place in the top-two primary behind consistent frontrunner Newsom. Both major parties had failed to endorse a candidate.
Click here for KTLA’s full coverage of California’s 2018 primary results.
By 9:17 p.m., the Associated Press determined Newsom would advance to the general election. At the end of the night, the former San Francisco mayor had 34 percent of the vote with 45 percent of precincts reporting statewide.
Cox, who secured an endorsement from President Trump, finished well ahead of the other contenders with 26 percent. The candidate showed his confidence by delivering a stump speech to supporters around 9:45 p.m. as results continued to trickle in.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appeared to be headed toward a third-place finish with 12 percent of the vote. He delivered a concession speech around 11 p.m. during which he endorsed Newsom for governor.
Before Newsom’s opponent had even been finalized, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted his support of the lieutenant governor, saying he had his “vote, voice, and full support for Governor of California.”
The general election will be held Nov. 6.