2022 California gubernatorial election (Porvenir)

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California gubernatorial election, 2022
November 8, 2022

The 2022 California gubernatorial election was held on 8 November, 2022. Actor and professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson defeated incumbent Governor and fellow Democrat Eleni Kounalakis and Republican Congressman Darrell Issa.

Background[]

In 2020, in the midst of his first and only tenure as Governor, Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom was accused of sexual misconduct by several women. After initially denying the accusations, Newsom resigned in 2021, handing the governorship to Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kournalakis. Kournalakis not only faced the stigma of having belonged to a smeared administration, but California's economy also began to take a steady dive at the dawn of the 2020s.

The Republican National Committee saw the governorship as vulnerable. Party leaders began to push longtime Congressman Darrell Issa to enter the race. Issa had sought to become Governor since the 2003 Recall Election, but had stepped aside when actor Arnold Schwarzenegger threw his hat into the ring. After established an exploratory committee, Issa announced his candidacy in mid 2021. Issa ran as a "Reagan-conservative", promising to return California to its former glory as the richest state in the union.

The Democrats were in a panic. With Kournalakis trailing Issa in several polls and the economy dropping, many feared the Republicans actually would control the Governor's Mansion for the first time since 2011. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti vied against Kournalakis for the DNC's favor, while musician Kanye West also waged a long shot campaign. Meanwhile, a campaign was launched to draft Black Adam and Jumanji star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson into the race. Johnson expressed interest publicly, but did not specify which party he would run with. At San Diego Comic-Con on 21 July 2021, Johnson announced his candidacy as a Democrat.