Rob Bonta reelected California attorney general, NBC News projects – NBC Los Angeles

Rob Bonta reelected California attorney general, NBC News projects  NBC Los Angeles

Bonta successfully secured a second term as California attorney general, fending off a challenge from Republican Michael Gates. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has won reelection against Republican challenger Michael Gates, NBC News projected Tuesday. Among 42% of the expected ballots counted, Bonta earned 63.5% of the votes compared with Gates' 36.5% to secure a second term as California attorney general, according to NBC News. Bonta, who was appointed in 2021 when then-Attorney General Xavier Becerra joined the Biden administration as secretary of Health and Human Services, was elected in 2022 to serve a full term. Bonta, who made history as the first Filipino American to become the state's attorney general, has been aggressively pushing back against President Trump, especially since his second administration began in 2025.

Since Jan. 20, 2025, Bonta's office has filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration, including one in which California and other blue states blocked the Trump administration's attempts to put conditions on federal grant programs. Gates, a former Huntington Beach city attorney and ex-lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, had an uphill battle against Bonta in the deep-blue state, which hasn't had a Republican attorney general since the late 1990s. Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source