CALIFORNIA — November 3, 2026. California voters are choosing their next attorney general, the state’s top law enforcement officer. In a FOX40 television report, Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta and Republican challenger Michael Gates made contrasting closing arguments about crime, public safety and the state’s legal battles with President Donald Trump’s administration. The segment featured interviews with both candidates; it did not show either candidate casting a ballot.
Rob Bonta: defending California in court
Bonta was appointed attorney general in 2021 after Xavier Becerra left to become U.S. secretary of health and human services. In the FOX40 interview, Bonta argued that his record on public safety and litigation against federal policies merited another term. He cited California crime and homicide trends and described more than 100 lawsuits involving the Trump administration. He also claimed an 83% success rate in those cases and said the litigation helped protect more than $200 billion in federal support for California.
These figures are claims made by Bonta in the broadcast. The interview does not provide the underlying methodology for the litigation success rate or establish that all the cited federal funds would otherwise have been lost. Similarly, his historical crime comparisons require specific data definitions and time periods before they can be treated as independently verified.
Michael Gates: public safety before political litigation
Gates, a trial lawyer and former Huntington Beach city attorney, argued that the attorney general’s office should concentrate more on public safety and less on litigation against the president. He criticized Bonta’s lawsuits as politically motivated. That is Gates’s characterization, not a finding of fact. Gates emphasized reducing crime and cited his work in Huntington Beach as an example of his priorities.
Where the candidates disagree
The contest highlights two different approaches to the office. Bonta says challenging federal actions can protect California residents’ access to funding and services, including healthcare, housing and education. Gates says the state should redirect more attention to crime and everyday safety concerns. Both candidates describe their approaches as serving Californians, but voters must evaluate the competing claims and proposals for themselves.
What the attorney general does
California’s attorney general leads the state Department of Justice, represents the state in legal matters and oversees certain statewide law enforcement and consumer-protection functions. The office is not the same as a county district attorney, who generally prosecutes local criminal cases. Decisions by the attorney general can affect all 58 counties, from Los Angeles and Orange County to smaller rural communities.
Watch the FOX40 interviews
Watch FOX40’s original report on Rob Bonta and Michael Gates. The footage is FOX40’s journalism, not a California58 interview. The supplied automated transcript contains transcription errors; this article paraphrases and attributes statements rather than treating the transcript as an exact verbatim record.
Election-night note: Polls close at 8 p.m. Pacific time. Early returns are unofficial, and California counties continue canvassing valid ballots after Election Day. This article reports the candidates’ positions, not an election result or an endorsement.
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