BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Kern County voters are backing Xavier Becerra for governor over his challenger, Steve Hilton, by about 4,000 votes according to the latest midterm election results one week from the election.
As a blue wave swept the country, it didn’t leave out Kern County. Based on the current results, this is the first time the county has voted for a Democratic governor in over 45 years. Becerra led Hilton overall in the state 65.6% to 34.4%. In Kern County, the vote breakdown was 51% to 48.9%.
As of Tuesday, Becerra is polling ahead in five of the eight San Joaquin Valley counties, including Kern and Fresno.
The last time a Democratic candidate for governor performed this well in Kern County was in 1978 for Jerry Brown.
But Ivy Cargile, a political science professor at California State University Bakersfield, doesn't believe these results officially make Kern County a “blue” county.
“We've got to be really careful with thinking that all of a sudden a place like Kern County is gonna turn blue,” Cargile told KVPR. “I think what this shows is that Kern County, like many other places in California and in the country, if mobilized, will actually get to the polls.”
Cargile credits door knocking and outreach for the democratic successes in the midterms. Becerra also made campaign stops in Bakersfield while his opponent, Hilton, did not.
Cargile believes Republican voters were overlooked this election but adds that they shouldn't be dismissed by candidates.
“There is the assumption that Kern County is just going to vote Republican,” Cargile said. “But Kern County demonstrated last week that that's not true. You can't take voters' votes for granted, and to some extent, that's a bit of the implication with him not visiting the area.”
After the 2018 midterms, Kern County saw a temporary political shift when Democrat TJ Cox unseated Republican Congressman for then-House District 21. Cox lasted one term and was later convicted of wire fraud.
