In deeply Democratic California, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom appears unstoppable in his long-running bid to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown.

A decade ago, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was less a Democratic rock star and more a party millstone. Four years after he’d defied state law as San Francisco’s mayor by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples – in the process, becoming something of a convenient fall guy for John Kerry’s lackluster presidential run – a statewide vote (2008’s Proposition 8) redefined California’s interpretation of the institution as strictly a male-female exchange of vows.

They’re still counting the votes in California (you can thank a lot of last-minute mail ballots for that), the scene of a statewide primary Tuesday night.

A Democratic state senator from Orange County who faces a recall for voting in favor of the gas tax hike is hanging on by a thread in today’s primary election