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Josh Newman (politician)

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Josh Newman
Member of the California State Senate
from the 29th district
In office
December 7, 2020 – November 30, 2024
Preceded byLing Ling Chang
Succeeded byEloise Reyes (redistricted)
In office
December 5, 2016 – June 24, 2018
Preceded byBob Huff
Succeeded byLing Ling Chang
Personal details
Born (1964-10-16) October 16, 1964 (age 60)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDarcy Lewis
Children1
Residence(s)Fullerton, California, U.S.
Alma materYale University
ProfessionNonprofit director
veterans advocate
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1986–1990

Joshua Botts Newman (born October 17, 1964) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate from 2016 to 2018, then again from 2020 to 2024. A Democrat, he represented the 29th Senate District, which encompasses parts of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties.

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. In 2024, Newman was defeated for reelection by former Assemblyman Steven Choi in an upset.

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

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2016 election

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In Newman's first election, he defeated former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang in the primary, then narrowly defeated Republican state Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang to succeed term-limited Republican Bob Huff in the general election.[1]

2018 recall

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In 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

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On 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

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Following 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 would not seek re-election to the State Senate and would instead run for California's 47th congressional district. In the general election, Min would win the congressional seat, but Newman would end up narrowly losing the Senate seat to Republican former Assemblyman Steven Choi.

Personal life

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Newman is Jewish.[9] He is married and has one child.[10]

Election results

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2020

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2020 California State Senate election
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)

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California's 29th State Senate district special recall election, 2018
Choice Votes %
Referendum passed Yes 91,892 58.13
No 66,197 41.87
Total votes 158,089 100.00
California's 29th State Senate district special recall election, 2018
Successor of Josh Newman if a majority vote in favor of recall
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

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California's 29th State Senate district election, 2016
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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ a b "Once recalled, newly reelected Sen. Josh Newman pitches bills to tighten process". OC Register. March 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "State Sen. Josh Newman Targeted By Recall Over California Gas Tax Vote". CBS Sacramento. May 9, 2017.
  5. ^ "Info for tomorrow's recall Josh Newman show". KFI AM 640.
  6. ^ "Special Recall Election". California Secretary of State. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  7. ^ "Recalled former state Sen. Josh Newman running to retake seat in 2020". March 5, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  8. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (December 13, 2022). "Two OC Senate incumbents prepare to face off in 2024". The Orange County Register. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  9. ^ Arom, Eitan (January 6, 2017). "Jewish state legislators ready to make an impact". Jewish Journal.
  10. ^ "May 5th luncheon honoring Senator Josh Newman". Retrieved August 6, 2019.
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