According to forecasts, the Democratic governor of the US state of California, Gavin Newsom, has successfully fended off a deselection process.

In a special vote on Tuesday, the majority of voters voted in favor of keeping Newsom as governor, as emerged on Wednesday night from consistent predictions by the television stations CNN, ABC and NBC.

A group of Republicans had launched the voting against Newsom.

The 53-year-old was criticized by the conservative side, among other things, because of his liberal immigration policy and strict corona regulations.

Several dozen opposing candidates ran to replace him as governor - none of them, however, a political heavyweight.

Democratic stronghold

California is a Democratic stronghold.

If Newsom had actually lost his post prematurely and had he been replaced by a Republican, it would have been a sensation and a disaster for the Democratic Party.

High-ranking party members up to US President Joe Biden had used their political weight to support Newsom in the election campaign.