Democrat Malia Cohen wins California state controller race

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democrat Malia Cohen has won the race for California controller, beating out a Republican who gave his party its best shot in years to end its losing streak in statewide elections.

Cohen will become the state’s first Black controller, a role that involves disbursing state funds, auditing government agencies and serving on more than 70 boards and commissions. She says her past role leading the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ budget and finance committee makes her uniquely qualified for the job.

“As your controller, I will make sure our tax dollars address the homelessness crisis, protect our environment, and provide access to healthcare and reproductive freedom. Let’s build a California where everyone thrives,” Cohen said in a statement. “We have work to do, and I’m excited to get started.”

Cohen declared victory on election night, but The Associated Press did not call the race until the following Tuesday. Cohen was leading with 55% of the vote after more than 8 million ballots were counted.

Cohen hopes to make it easier for people to report fraud following the more than $20 billion of fraudulent unemployment benefits California gave to criminals during the pandemic. She wants to use her auditing power to identify problems within agencies and push for solutions to prevent them from happening again.

While Cohen had California’s Democrat-dominated electorate on her side, Chen’s campaign put up a competitive fight. Chen, who’s never held elected office, brought in widespread attention, support and money from those in his party both in and out of the state. He raised $3.3 million in campaign contributions for the year through the October reporting deadline, doubling what Cohen raised over that time period. Chen even brought in more money than...