California State Senator Loses Senate Seat To Republican

A longtime California state senator has lost his seat to a Republican after a powerful labor union campaigned against him.

Weeks after Election Day, California state Sen. Josh Newman officially conceded to Republican Steven Choi.

Newman in his concession speech shared, “With the most recent ballot updates, the numbers have made it clear that my campaign no longer has a viable path to a positive outcome in this election.”

Labor union AFSCME 3299, which represents nearly 30,000 California workers, campaigned against Newman after he didn’t sign a bill that would have protected the University of California’s workers’ rights.

California Democrat loses state Senate seat after labor spat https://t.co/IVCSp27apB

— POLITICO (@politico) November 25, 2024

Democratic State Senator Josh Newman concedes the #SD37 race to former Republican Assemblyman Steve Choi, giving the CA GOP a flip in the State Senate. https://t.co/hhJ9AgmDUe

— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) November 25, 2024

Here’s what Politico reported:

California Democrats will lose a state Senate seat to Republicans after a powerful labor union campaigned against the longtime Orange County lawmaker.

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State Sen. Josh Newman on Monday conceded to former GOP Assemblymember Steven Choi after the Republican opened up an insurmountable lead of more than 6,000 votes.

“With the most recent ballot updates, the numbers have made it clear that my campaign no longer has a viable path to a positive outcome in this election,” Newman said in a statement.

Newman — the most endangered purple-district Democrat in the Senate — faced opposition from an unusual source: AFSCME 3299, which represents 30,000 University of California employees. The union went after Newman after he didn’t support a bill that would have amended the state constitution to protect UC worker rights.

The group spent big boosting Newman’s Democratic opponents in the March primary. When that effort failed, it shifted to attacking the senator directly during the general election — even if that meant boosting Newman’s Republican rival.

The move drew a sharp rebuke from Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, who recently called it “morally bankrupt.”

State Democrats spent more than $3.8 million to protect Newman. But the most recent redistricting drew him into a largely unfamiliar area in which many voters were new to him, making Choi’s campaign a bit easier.

CAGOP congratulates Senator-elect Steven Choi on his victory in #SD37! pic.twitter.com/LcQ5586OXE

— CAGOP (@CAGOP) November 25, 2024