California primaries signal Democratic discontent

Inflation, gun violence, and homelessness were top issues at the polls Tuesday in the state with the strongest Democratic majority. San Francisco voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin, signaling dissatisfaction with progressive criminal justice policies that have not mitigated crime or homelessness for the past two years. In Los Angeles, two Democratic candidates for mayor, billionaire and former Republican Rick Caruso and U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, won the highest numbers of votes in the city and will face off against one another in the November election to replace the term-limited mayor. Caruso gained popularity after promising significant boosts to the police department.

What other primaries happened this week? In South Dakota, GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson won his reelection bid for the state’s only congressional seat. Republican Gov. Kristi Noem also defeated her party challenger Tuesday. New Jersey voters supported Democrat Rob Menendez, son of Sen. Bob Menendez, to run for U.S. House of Representatives. Early exit polls show low turnout in both California and New Jersey, indicating the Democratic Party is failing to energize its voters ahead of an expected “red wave” in November’s midterm elections.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew about how this year’s primaries test former President Donald Trump’s ongoing influence.