Joshua Botts Newman (born October 17, 1964) is an American politician who serves in the California State Senate. A Democrat, he represents the 29th Senate District, which encompasses parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties. He was previously recalled from the same office in June 2018.
Josh Newman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California State Senate from the 29th district | |
| Assumed office December 7, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Ling Ling Chang |
| In office December 5, 2016 – June 24, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Huff |
| Succeeded by | Ling Ling Chang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 16, 1964 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Darcy Lewis |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | Fullerton, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Profession | Nonprofit director veterans advocate |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1986–1990 |
Newman was elected to the State Senate by a very narrow margin in November 2016, providing Democrats with a ⅔ supermajority of 27 seats. In June 2018, he was successfully recalled by the voters of the 29th Senate District, and replaced by his 2016 opponent, former Republican Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang. In November 2020, Newman once again defeated Chang to return to the State Senate.
Prior to being elected to the State Senate, Newman was a veterans' advocate and executive director of a nonprofit for veterans.
Newman graduated from Yale University and served as an officer in the United States Army.
Career
edit2016 election
editIn Newman's first election, he defeated former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang in the primary, then narrowly defeated state Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang to succeed term-limited Republican Bob Huff in the general election.[1]
2018 recall
editIn June 2018, Newman was recalled from office,[2][3] ostensibly for his affirmative vote on Senate Bill 1, which increased gas and diesel taxes and raised DMV registration fees in California.[4][5] The recall effort was heavily pushed by influential radio personalities John and Ken. He was replaced by Republican Ling Ling Chang, whom he had defeated in the 2016 election.[6]
2020 election
editOn March 4, 2019, Newman announced that he would be a candidate to return to the California State Senate in the 2020 elections.[7]
He came in second in the primary election, defeating Democratic challenger Joseph Cho. In the general election, he won office with 51.3% of the vote to retake the seat from Chang.[3]
2024 election
editFollowing redistricting, Newman announced that he would run for the 37th Senate district, going up against fellow Democrat Dave Min.[8] Later, Senator Min announced that he will be retiring from the State Senate and be running as a candidate in same election in California's 47th congressional district.
Personal life
editElection results
edit2020
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang (incumbent) | 98,687 | 47.4 | |
| Democratic | Josh Newman | 69,732 | 33.5 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Cho | 39,643 | 19.1 | |
| Total votes | 208,062 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Josh Newman | 214,456 | 51.3 | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang (incumbent) | 203,762 | 48.7 | |
| Total votes | 418,218 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
2018 (Recall)
edit| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| 91,892 | 58.13 | |
| No | 66,197 | 41.87 |
| Total votes | 158,089 | 100.00 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang | 50,215 | 33.80 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Cho | 31,726 | 21.36 | |
| Republican | Bruce Whitaker | 28,704 | 19.32 | |
| Democratic | Josh Ferguson | 17,745 | 11.95 | |
| Democratic | Kevin Carr | 12,713 | 8.56 | |
| Republican | George C. Shen | 7,442 | 5.01 | |
| Total votes | 148,545 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
2016
edit| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang | 73,514 | 44.0 | |
| Democratic | Josh Newman | 48,754 | 29.2 | |
| Democratic | Sukhee Kang | 44,766 | 26.8 | |
| Total votes | 167,034 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Josh Newman | 160,230 | 50.4 | |
| Republican | Ling Ling Chang | 157,732 | 49.6 | |
| Total votes | 317,962 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
References
edit- ^ Jordan Graham (November 23, 2016). "Josh Newman takes lead in 29th state Senate race, bringing Democrats close to supermajority". The Orange County Register. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "The Latest: Recall denies Democrats California supermajority". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. June 6, 2018. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ a b "Once recalled, newly reelected Sen. Josh Newman pitches bills to tighten process". OC Register. March 12, 2021.
- ^ "State Sen. Josh Newman Targeted By Recall Over California Gas Tax Vote". CBS Sacramento. May 9, 2017.
- ^ "Info for tomorrow's recall Josh Newman show". KFI AM 640.
- ^ "Special Recall Election". California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ "Recalled former state Sen. Josh Newman running to retake seat in 2020". March 5, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (December 13, 2022). "Two OC Senate incumbents prepare to face off in 2024". The Orange County Register. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Arom, Eitan (January 6, 2017). "Jewish state legislators ready to make an impact". Jewish Journal.
- ^ "May 5th luncheon honoring Senator Josh Newman". Retrieved August 6, 2019.