California voters on Tuesday looked at their state, looked at the man who has spent decades in government, and decided the problem was that he hadn't been in charge of it yet.

Democrat Xavier Becerra was elected governor, defeating Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton with about 64% of the vote, according to the AP. The race was called within minutes of the polls closing, which is the fastest anything has happened in Sacramento since the last tax increase.

Becerra will succeed the term-limited Gavin Newsom in January. His résumé is long. Twenty-four years in Congress. State attorney general. U.S. Health and Human Services secretary. The man has worked in every building in America with a metal detector except the DMV, and frankly that one's probably next.

Now, folks, let's talk about the issue that decided nothing. Gas.

California's average price was $6.01 a gallon last week, according to AAA figures reported by the Los Angeles Times. The national average was $4.28. That's a $1.73 difference per gallon, or what Californians call "the scenery fee."

Hilton campaigned on getting gas down to $3 by eliminating the state gas tax and repealing the Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Becerra did not propose cutting the gas tax. Instead, according to the Times, he supported a mileage-based fee for drivers.

So the voters had a choice. One man said, "I'll make gas cheaper." The other man said, "What if, in addition to the gallon, we also charged you for the miles?"

And by nearly 30 points, California picked the meter.

Becerra has blamed the war with Iran for $2 a gallon of the cost. Fair enough. That still leaves about four dollars a gallon that is apparently homegrown.

I want to be fair to the governor-elect here at the Statehouse desk. Experience counts. When your sink is leaking, you want a plumber with 30 years on the job. You just want him to be a plumber who's fixed a sink before. Becerra has been in public office for most of the time California's prices have been climbing, and the pitch was, "Imagine what I could do with the top job."

Californians have imagined it. They pay for it every Tuesday at the pump.

Meanwhile, the Democrats have now held the governor's office for 16 straight years. At this point, Republicans losing a California governor's race isn't news. It's a seasonal event, like mudslides or a celebrity moving to Texas.

Consider a commuter in Riverside, filling up a sedan at $6.01 on the way to a job 40 miles away. Under the plan she just voted for, the next guy might charge her for those 40 miles too. She'll get to experience the gas tax and the mileage fee at the same time, like a surround-sound system for bills.

Hilton promised $3 gas. Becerra promised experience.

Californians, you'll get exactly what you voted for. You'll get it at $6.01, and soon, by the mile.

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The Demorat is a satire publication. This article is parody and commentary based on real news reports; jokes, exaggerations and fictional elements are not factual claims. Quotes attributed to real people are drawn from published reporting.

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