Key takeaways from the 2026 midterm elections in California

Democrats easily hold on to governor’s office and are on track to notch up wins in key congressional races.While votes are still being counted in California, a handful of important races in the midterm elections have already been called or are pointing firmly in one direction.Despite its status as a reliably Democratic stronghold, the Western state has played a dynamic role in Tuesday’s United States elections, acting as a testing ground for questions as varied as partisan redistricting and tax measures targeting billionaires.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US appeals court again rejects Trump bid to set aside California ballotslist 2 of 3Legal filing questions Trump’s claims of non-citizen voting in Californialist 3 of 3Why governors’ races are important in the 2026 US midtermsend of listLet’s take a quick look at some of tonight’s results:Democrats ahead in key racesWhile vote-counting was still under way, Democratic candidates have pulled decisively ahead in several contests seen as must-wins for the party’s effort to take control of the US House of Representatives.To boost the party’s chances, voters a year ago approved a partisan redistricting measure promoted by...