SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Secretary of State Shirley Weber remains poised for her first full term in office after officials released the early returns from California’s primary election Tuesday.
Weber captured well over 50% of the vote in the batch of results released shortly after polls closed, with many ballots remaining to be counted. The top two vote-getters in the contest will move on to the general election in November.
The secretary of state handles a wide range of administrative responsibilities for California, most prominently serving as the state’s chief elections officer. The office is tasked with ensuring fair and accessible voting for residents and it fields election-related lawsuits. It also manages business programs and record-keeping on various state affairs.
Weber is an accomplished academic and former star of Democratic politics in San Diego, which she represented in the California State Assembly. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her to the position in 2020, replacing now-Sen. Alex Padilla. That appointment made history — Weber became the first Black woman to serve as California’s secretary of state.
She focused much of her partial term on voting access issues, expanding the ways residents can cast ballots and seeking to improve transparency around elections, according to her campaign.
Political observers widely considered Weber’s race uncompetitive, as she retains broad support from elected Democrats and faces no challenger from her own party. Republicans, meanwhile, have struggled in recent years to win statewide office.
Republican Robert Bernosky, a conservative businessman and member of the state party leadership, entered the race shortly before the deadline. He’s now set to appear on the ballot with Weber in November, according to the Associated Press.
