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Democrat Barbara Boxer Hangs On to Senate Seat in California

2 years ago

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Correspondent

The anti-incumbent wave didn't quite reach California, where Democrat Barbara Boxer won a fourth term in the Senate after a bruising campaign in which Republican Carly Fiorina unsuccessfully tried to pin the state's economic woes on policies supported by her opponent.

Fox News called the race for Boxer, a powerful liberal voice in the Senate, shortly after polls closed in California Tuesday night.

The win means Democrats will retain control of the Senate.

"This is my 11th straight election victory and what a sweet one it is," Boxer said at a victory party in Hollywood.

In what may have been the senator's toughest race yet, the candidates ran neck-and-neck for weeks until polls showed the incumbent pulling away in the final few days.

The Republican did not concede, saying she wanted to wait until all the votes are counted.

Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, played up her business acumen and outsider status while portraying Boxer as a Washington establishment figure who would continue to grow the government and prolong the lingering national recession. The Republican repeatedly linked her opponent to the agenda of President Obama, earning support from the tea party and the business community.

But Boxer, 69, was able to use Fiorina's often tumultuous tenure at HP against her, casting the ex-CEO as a corporate fat cat who pulled the trigger on massive layoffs and sent jobs overseas. "Outsourcing jobs, out for herself," intoned one Boxer ad.

The senator did not shy away from Obama, crediting him and the Democratic Congress for passing the $814 billion economic stimulus bill, avoiding a depression and saving thousands of jobs in California. Obama appeared in Boxer's television ads and made campaign stops for the senator.

Fiorina, 56, apparently failed to win over independents and centrist Democrats -- a necessity for Republican candidates in a famously liberal state. She sunk an estimated $7 million of her own money into the campaign and benefited from big donations by a number of national conservative groups seeking to elect Republicans. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent a reported $4.5 million in backing Fiorina.

The race turned catty early in the summer, when Fiorina was caught on a live microphone mocking Boxer's hair style as "so yesterday."

Fiorina was temporarily sidelined from the campaign trail in the race's final week when she was hospitalized for an infection related to reconstructive surgery after breast cancer.

Filed Under: Senate, Democrats, Republicans, 2010 Elections, Congress

Tagged: 2010 Elections, 2010 Senate Races, Barbara Boxer, California Elections, California Senate Race, Carly Fiorina, dailyguidance

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Walter

The way the new congress will kill the Health Care bill is to not fund it. Case Closed!

November 03 2010 at 2:00 PM Permalink

Richard

As a military retiree I must tell you that I have great dislike for Boxer! She is what is wrong with politics. If all politicians were like Boxer I would advocate a military takeover of the country!

November 03 2010 at 1:59 PM Permalink

nurseschmoe

I believe that if you follow any national news that the state senate of California and Arnold have been at odds a lot about balancing a state budget. I believe he said that he wouldn't add to their debt??? Anyways I would love for people to research NAFTA a Clinton era "treaty" that allowed for our jobs to be shipped to Mexico and Canada. This economy is a trickle down effect of that and many other welfare state policies. Unfortunately the free trade agreement has costed jobs and hopefully allow people to take off their beer goggles!

November 03 2010 at 1:53 PM Permalink

thestork

What a joke Boxer is? How in the world did we Californians re-elect her? Lived here all my life and when I retire, I am out of this liberal state! I will take my California State retirement / pension and my American flag and fly it in Wyoming!

November 03 2010 at 1:51 PM Permalink

eaapooh

I moved from California 10 years ago and after watching the election and campaign I am so glad. If the people of California are ill informed as to the kind of leader Jerry Brown will be just look at the last time he was in charge. He called the voters ignorant and said time after time that they did not know what they voted for. He was a political hack in the 70's and will be again. California will get what they deserve with him. As far as Ms. Boxer goes she may have kept her seat but for the first time in a long time she was in a tight race and maybe it will humble her enough to listen to the ALL of the people of Califonia. I wish guys luck with your choices.

November 03 2010 at 1:44 PM Permalink

insightinsound

JESSE - Please note --- Do you mean the party NO government bailouts [the entire concept of ''Bailouts'' was created by the Bush administration well before the elections of 2008], NO nationalized health care [the ''Naitonalization'' of prescription drugs by the Bush administration was the most expensive, for citizens, HEALTH bill in American history] , NO handouts for lazy people [it was the Bush administration that allowed the largest influx of illeagal aliens in history... while continuing to offer them free healthcare and welfare], NO thumbing your nose at the constitution [Bush and his cohorts did more to ignore the constitution and to trample on constitutional parameters than any other administration in history], NO breaking immigration laws [Bush, and by extension the GOP, outright encouraged a huge and highly damaging policy of thwarting and ignoring immigration laws.

November 03 2010 at 1:35 PM Permalink

doloreselie

Don't be haters! You lost now be done with it. You go BARBARA BOXER!!!!

November 03 2010 at 1:35 PM Permalink

hugh

I feared that the USA had become a plutocracy, ruled by those with money who buy the votes and swamp us with negative advertising. But California gives us hope that this is not totally the case. Hugo

November 03 2010 at 1:32 PM Permalink

dandsdrennan

The Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. They have consistently voted in the primary for right wingnuts to run against Boxer, or, in the case of Fiorina, someone without any political experience. Boxer is undoubtedly the worst Senator in the Congress (and I'm a Bay Area Democrat), but until the Republicans run an experienced moderate--like Tom Campbell--they will have to put up with the likes of Boxer.

November 03 2010 at 1:24 PM Permalink