Wednesday, 09 June 2010 06:28

Major Races and Controversial Propositions Decided

slide2.pngAmador County –Tuesday’s primary election results highlighted the importance of money, specifically in the race for GOP nomination for Governor, now considered the costliest primary fight in California history. Two former CEO’s, Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, won the Republican nominations for governor and U.S. Senator, respectively. Whitman won the Republican ticket for governor with 64.2 percent of the vote, defeating Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner who received 26.9 percent of the vote, according to the Secretary of State. Whitman, 53, poured $71 million of her own money into her campaign, compared to the $25 million spent by Poizner. Whitman’s campaign focused on her business background to show she can manage a state now burdened with a $20 billion budget deficit. “Career politicians in Washington and Sacramento be warned, because you now face your worst nightmare: two businesswomen from the real world who know how to create jobs, balance budgets and get things done," said Whitman during her victory speech at the Hilton ballroom at Universal Studios. She will now face off against Democratic nominee Jerry Brown, the former California Governor and current Attorney General. Her comment also referred to Fiorina, who will challenge Democrat and long-time U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer in November. Meanwhile, popular San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom got closer to a state job by winning the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor. Amador County Assessor Jim Rooney, the only locally elected official to face a challenger in this election, took 78.72 percent of the vote over just 20.99 percent for challenger Jay Elias. “I enjoyed the election process and it turned out a little bit better than I expected,” said Rooney on Wednesday morning. “I’m back at work today and working hard to get the job done, so there’s not much time for resting or celebrating,” he added. He thanked his wife and children for their support, as well as all the people who “got out there and voted.” Also on Tuesday, voters decided on five propositions. Proposition 13, which provides that construction to seismically retrofit buildings will not trigger reassessment of property tax values, received a “yes” vote from 84.5 percent of voters, according to the state’s unofficial results. Proposition 14, designed to change the primary election process for congressional, statewide and legislative races, passed with 54 percent voter support. Proposition 15 and 16, which have would repealed the ban on public funding of political campaigns and imposed a new two thirds voter approval for local public electricity providers, were both defeated by narrow margins. The highly controversial ballot measure Proposition 17, aimed at allowing auto insurance carriers to base prices in part on a driver’s history of insurance coverage, was narrowly defeated, receiving 52 percent of the “yes” vote over 47.9 percent against. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.