Chiang Re-Elected California State Controller
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Democrat John Chiang has been re-elected as California's controller, fending off Republican state Sen. Tony Strickland for a second time.
The controller is charged with watching over roughly $100 billion in transactions, sounding a warning when the state is running out of cash and uncovering fraud and abuse of tax dollars.
Chiang was forced to issue IOUs during California's budget crisis last year. He said his cash management helped keep California's credit rating from dropping into junk status.
Strickland is an anti-tax, fiscal conservative who was trying to ride the wave of a political climate that appeared to favor Republicans.
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