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California Attorney General election, 2022 (June 7 top-two primary)
- Primary date: June 7
- Mail-in registration deadline: June 7
- Online reg. deadline: May 23
- In-person reg. deadline: June 7
- Early voting starts: Varies
- Early voting ends: June 6
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Absentee/mail-in deadline: June 7
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California Attorney General |
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Top-two primary General election |
Election details |
Filing deadline: March 11, 2022 |
Primary: June 7, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Rob Bonta (Democratic) |
How to vote |
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in California |
Ballotpedia analysis |
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022 |
California executive elections |
Governor Lieutenant Governor |
Incumbent Rob Bonta (D) and Nathan Hochman (R) advanced from the top-two primary on June 7, 2022, for California attorney general. Bonta received 55% of the vote and Hochman received 18%.[1]
Bonta, Eric Early (R), Hochman, and Anne Marie Schubert (I) led in media attention and fundraising.[2][3][4] Daniel Kapelovitz (G) also ran in the primary election. The Los Angeles Times' George Skelton said, "Whether [Bonta is] contested competitively in November may well hinge on whom voters select as his challenger."[5]
Hannah Wiley, also writing for the Los Angeles Times, said, "Bonta’s top contenders include the California Republican Party-endorsed candidate Nathan Hochman, a former assistant U.S. attorney general, and Eric Early, a Los Angeles lawyer who is running a more politically far-right campaign. Sacramento Dist. Atty. Anne Marie Schubert is seeking the office as an unaffiliated independent after she dropped her GOP registration in 2018."[3]
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed Bonta on March 24, 2021. Bonta is a former Democratic member of the California General Assembly, representing District 18 from 2012 until his appointment. According to Bonta's campaign website, "As California’s Attorney General and California’s chief law officer, Bonta is the 'attorney for the people' and holds those who break the law – especially those in positions of power – accountable and wins justice for California families."[6]
Early ran for California's 28th Congressional District in 2020 and was defeated in the general election by Rep. Adam Schiff (D). In 2018, Early ran for California attorney general and was defeated in the Republican primary on June 5, 2018. Early’s career experience included working as an attorney and managing partner of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP.[7] According to his campaign website, Early "believes that there is a battle of good versus evil currently raging in our country, to the point where those who support communism and socialism remarkably now populate certain portions of our government."[8]
Hochman served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California and assistant attorney general of the United States Department of Justice. Hochman also worked as a defense attorney, civil litigator, and appellate counsel.[9] Hochman said his "360-degree perspective allows me to be in the best position to evaluate those who constitute true public safety threats and must be incarcerated from those who don’t pose such threats and can serve their debt to society through, for example, community service."[10]
Schubert worked as Sacramento County district attorney, supervising deputy district attorney of the Sacramento District Attorney's Office, and deputy district attorney of Contra Costa and Solano Counties. "As a real prosecutor and California’s next attorney general, I will have the constitutional authority to step in when a local district attorney isn’t doing his or her job. I believe we must stand up for crime victims and return order to the justice system," Schubert said.[11]
California's crime rate was an issue in the race, with other candidates criticizing Bonta's record as attorney general. Early said Bonta had implemented "criminal loving policies that have left us in this criminal’s paradise."[4]
Hochman said there was "a spiral of lawlessness going on in our society" and Bonta was "not enforcing the laws that are on the books."[4]
Schubert said that the "policies that we’re seeing championed by our legislature, our Attorney General, our prosecutors in Los Angeles and San Francisco counties are tsunamis of poor public policies that are in fact endangering."[4]
Responding to this criticism, Bonta said, “Public safety is, and has been, job No. 1, 2 and 3. I’m fully aware that in politics people like to take political shots that are not based on the facts.”[4]
At the time of the election, Democrats occupied the office of attorney general in California since 1999. Xavier Becerra (D) occupied the office before Bonta, serving from 2019 to 2021, when he was confirmed as U.S. secretary of health and human services.
Anne Marie Schubert (Independent) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.
Incumbent Rob Bonta and Nathan Hochman advanced from the primary for Attorney General of California.
This page focuses on California's top-two attorney general primary. For more in-depth information on California's attorney general general election, see the following page:

Candidates and election results
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Attorney General of California
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | ![]() | Rob Bonta (D) | 54.3 | 3,756,486 |
✔ | ![]() | Nathan Hochman (R) | 18.2 | 1,256,465 |
![]() | Eric Early (R) | 16.5 | 1,142,747 | |
![]() | Anne Marie Schubert (Independent) ![]() | 7.8 | 539,746 | |
![]() | Daniel Kapelovitz (G) | 3.2 | 219,912 |
Total votes: 6,915,356 | ||||
![]() | ||||
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Candidate comparison
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)
My passion for justice led me to be a national leader in pioneering the innovative use of DNA to solve crimes. That's how I led my office to identify and convict the Golden State Killer. Now, I want to bring that same passion to stop the chaos of crime and homelessness that infects communities throughout our state. Crime and drug use are rampant in the homeless population, and career politicians have failed to fix this crisis. We must compassionately ensure that the homeless are provided mental health services and drug rehabilitation, but also demand accountability from anyone who commits a crime.
I will reverse the Attorney General Office's policy of supporting early prison release for violent perpetrators of hate crimes, sex crimes, human trafficking, domestic violence and gun crimes. Due to this, and my other priorities, the men and women of law enforcement overwhelmingly support me as their choice for Attorney General. They know I will relentlessly work for you to Stop the Chaos. I'd be honored to have your vote.

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)
Homelessness
Illegal Guns
Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)
1. We must tackle rising violent crime by dedicating adequate resources to investigate and aggressively prosecute these criminals. 2. We must take illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of felons and prohibited persons. This requires sufficient resources for law enforcement to proactively investigate these crimes. It also requires that we change the law to stop giving back guns to those who commit certain gun crimes such as bringing a gun to school or the state capitol. 3. We must amend California law to protect Californians from the early release of violent criminals. Under current law, felony domestic violence, drugging and raping an unconsious person, human trafficking of a child, and assault with a deadly weapon are NOT classified as “violent” crimes. As a result, these criminals are getting out early from prison after serving only a fraction of the sentence given by a judge.
4. We must end “zero bail” policies that fail to consider public safety and victims’ rights when letting dangerous people out of custody.
Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)
Public safety is in chaos in California. As a result of a tsunami of bad public policies, bad laws and officials who won’t enforce good laws, we have rising violent crime, rampant theft, homelessness and drug addiction everywhere in California.
As the next Attorney General, I will lead this state back to good laws, strong public safety policies and accountability for those who commit crime.
Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)
I have spent over 30 years as a prosecutor in California, protecting kids from sexual predators and human trafficking, and making sure violent criminals are held accountable for their crimes. I am an international expert in DNA/Cold Case investigations and prosecutions.
My experience stands in contrast to recently appointed Attorney General Rob Bonta, a career politician who was appointed to the job with no experience in public safety or as a prosecutor.
Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)

Anne Marie Schubert (Independent)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- Attorney General of California (Assumed office: 2021)
- California General Assembly (2012-2021)
Biography: Bonta received a bachelor's degree in history from Yale College and a law degree from Yale Law School. Bonta's career experience includes working as a deputy city attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney's Office.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of California in 2022.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Eric Early earned a B.F.A. degree from New York University in 1981 and a law degree from Southwestern Law School in 1993. Early’s career experience includes working as an attorney and managing partner of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of California in 2022.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice (2008)
- Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California (1990-1997)
Biography: Hochman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and a Juris Doctor degree at Stanford Law School. Hochman's career experience includes working as a defense attorney, civil litigator, and appellate counsel.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of California in 2022.
Party: Independent
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I am the Elected District Attorney of Sacramento County with 31 years experience as a career prosecutor. I am proud to be an internationally recognized law enforcement leader; famous for my successful prosecutions in cases such as the Golden State Killer, the Second Story Rapist, Californian unemployment fraud (EDD), and other well-known criminal cases."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of California in 2022.
Campaign advertisements
Rob Bonta
Have a link to Rob Bonta's campaign ads on YouTube? Email us.
Eric Early
June 28, 2021 |
June 28, 2021 |
June 28, 2021 |
View more ads here:
Nathan Hochman
May 13, 2022 |
May 8, 2022 |
April 20, 2022 |
View more ads here:
Daniel Kapelovitz
Have a link to Daniel Kapelovitz's campaign ads on YouTube? Email us.
Anne Marie Schubert
April 25, 2022 |
April 6, 2022 |
November 5, 2021 |
View more ads here:
News and conflicts in this primary
This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. Click here to read more about conflict in this and other 2022 attorney general primaries. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.
- Heart of the Primaries 2022, Democrats-Issue 26 (June 9, 2022)
- Heart of the Primaries 2022, Democrats-Issue 14 (March 17, 2022)
Endorsements
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Election competitiveness
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election spending
Campaign finance
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Presidential elections
Cook PVI by congressional district
2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
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Democratic | |||||||
Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
Republican | |||||||
Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
New Republican | D | D | R |
Following the 2020 presidential election, 83.3% of Californians lived in one of the state's 31 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 8.3% lived in one of two Trending Democratic counties: Nevada and Orange. Overall, California was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in California following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
California county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Solid Democratic | 31 | 83.3% | |||||
Trending Democratic | 2 | 8.3% | |||||
Solid Republican | 23 | 7.8% | |||||
New Democratic | 2 | 0.6% | |||||
Total voted Democratic | 35 | 92.2% | |||||
Total voted Republican | 23 | 7.8% |
Historical voting trends
California presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 15 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
- 1 other win
Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winning Party | R | R | R | P[13] | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Statewide elections
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in California.
U.S. Senate election results in California | ||
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Race | Winner | Runner up |
2018 | 54.2%![]() |
45.8%![]() |
2016 | 61.8%![]() |
38.2%![]() |
2012 | 62.5%![]() |
37.5%![]() |
2010 | 52.1%![]() |
42.5%![]() |
2006 | 59.4%![]() |
35.2%![]() |
Average | 58.0 | 39.8 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of California
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in California.
Gubernatorial election results in California | ||
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Race | Winner | Runner up |
2018 | 61.9%![]() |
38.1%![]() |
2014 | 60.0%![]() |
40.0%![]() |
2010 | 53.8%![]() |
40.9%![]() |
2006 | 55.9%![]() |
38.9%![]() |
2003 | 48.6%![]() |
31.5%![]() |
Average | 56.0 | 37.9 |
State partisanship
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of November 2022.
Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California, November 2022 | |||
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Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
Democratic | 2 | 42 | 44 |
Republican | 0 | 11 | 11 |
Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 2 | 53 | 55 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.
State executive officials in California, November 2022 | |
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Office | Officeholder |
Governor | ![]() |
Lieutenant Governor | ![]() |
Secretary of State | ![]() |
Attorney General | ![]() |
State legislature
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the California State Legislature as of November 2022.
California State Senate
Party | As of November 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 31 | |
Republican Party | 9 | |
Vacancies | 0 | |
Total | 40 |
California State Assembly
Party | As of November 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 60 | |
Republican Party | 19 | |
Independent | 1 | |
Vacancies | 0 | |
Total | 80 |
Trifecta control
As of November 2022, California was a Democratic trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
California Party Control: 1992-2022
Seventeen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Assembly | D | D | D | S | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Demographics
The table below details demographic data in California and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
Demographic Data for California | ||
---|---|---|
California | United States | |
Population | 39,538,223 | 331,449,281 |
Land area (sq mi) | 155,857 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White | 56.1% | 70.4% |
Black/African American | 5.7% | 12.6% |
Asian | 14.8% | 5.6% |
Native American | 0.8% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.2% |
Other (single race) | 14.3% | 5.1% |
Multiple | 7.9% | 5.2% |
Hispanic/Latino | 39.1% | 18.2% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate | 83.9% | 88.5% |
College graduation rate | 34.7% | 32.9% |
Income | ||
Median household income | $78,672 | $64,994 |
Persons below poverty level | 12.6% | 12.8% |
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
2022 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:
- Alabama gubernatorial election, 2022 (May 24 Republican primary)
- Idaho Secretary of State election, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)
- North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)
- Ohio's 13th Congressional District election, 2022
- Texas' 8th Congressional District election, 2022 (March 1 Republican primary)
See also
California | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New York Times, "California Attorney General Primary Election Results," accessed June 27, 2022
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Showdown between reform and tough-on-crime policies in California attorney general’s race," April 25, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Los Angeles Times, "The June primary for California attorney general is a fight for second place," May 28, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Sacremento Bee, "On the issues: Leading candidates for California attorney general discuss crime, guns," May 27, 2022
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Column: California attorney general is one of few key races on the ballot. It’s worth our attention," May 19, 2022
- ↑ Rob Bonta, "Issues," accessed May 18, 2022
- ↑ Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on May 16, 2018
- ↑ Eric Early for California Attorney General, "Eric's Story," accessed June 2, 2022
- ↑ Nathan Hochman, "About," accessed May 18, 2022
- ↑ San Diego Union-Tribune, "2022 election: Q&A with Nathan Hochman, California attorney general candidate," May 17, 2022
- ↑ San Diego Union-Tribune, "2022 election: Q&A with Anne Marie Schubert, California attorney general candidate," May 17, 2022
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022
- ↑ Progressive Party
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