(NewsNation) — The California governor’s race has been called by NewsNation/ Decision Desk HQ in favor of Gavin Newsom.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was locked in a race for a second term in office against Republican challenger, California State Sen. Brian Dahle. 

Newsom has run a relatively quiet reelection campaign, but in a debate weeks before the election, he came out guns blazing against Dahle, sparring with his opponent on abortion, claiming Dahle was “pro-government mandated birth.”

Dahle didn’t discuss his specific stance on abortion, instead opting to attack Newsom for allocating hundreds of millions in funding for abortion services in his latest state budget. 

Meanwhile, Dahle blamed Newsom for California’s highest-in-the-nation gas prices, struggling public schools and the state’s unreliable electrical grid. Newsom instead pointed to the state’s economic growth compared to the rest of the country as a testament to his own policies. 

Newsom’s win was all but assured in a state with a largely liberal electorate and pre-election polls reflecting a wide lead over his opponent. Throughout the campaign, Dahle’s fundraising efforts were dwarfed by the incumbent governor who had both name recognition and polling of likely voters. The challenger acknowledged he was fighting “an uphill battle.” 

California is one of 36 states electing their top executive officials during the 2022 midterm elections. Before the election, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.