Although Poizner was defeated, he received 700,000 more votes than the Republican candidate for governor. In all, 5 million Californians marked their ballots for him, the most votes cast for an independent for any statewide position in American history. He was endorsed by the editorial boards of all 24 newspapers that chose to endorse in the insurance commissioner’s race. Only the deep, deep blue of the state’s Democratic wave — it swept every statewide office and every competitive California congressional district — kept Poizner from victory.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 17, 2018 11:03 UTC