LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sen. Tony Strickland has won the Republican primary for California controller.
Strickland beat David Evans on Tuesday in the race to become the state's chief financial officer.
He will face Democratic incumbent John Chiang in the November general election.
The 40-year-old Strickland lost to Chiang four years ago by slightly more than 10 percentage points.
He had intended to sit the race out and finish his four-year term in the Senate representing the Thousands Oaks area. But he changed his mind when GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman asked him to run.
The controller watches over roughly $100 billion in spending.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
