RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – Republican and Rancho Santa Fe businessman John Cox was soundly beaten by Democrat Gavin Newsom in California’s last gubernatorial election.

His race to unseat Newsom Tuesday once again proved unsuccessful.

Cox, 66, entered the recall election this year with plenty of name recognition, bringing proposals to lower housing costs and create jobs with a “beastly” bear metaphor. But with the Associated Press projecting Newsom will defeat the recall attempt, Cox appears destined to finish with single-digit support statewide, likely to finish far behind front-runner and right-wing radio host Larry Elder.

Speaking to supporters earlier in the evening Tuesday, Cox said, “I’m not gonna quit.”

“I’m gonna keep active,” he said. “We’re gonna see what happens in this recall. I sincerely hope the voters of this state make a strong statement today that they want change and that we’ll have new leadership in Sacramento. It’s been a wonderful trip and the journey is just beginning.”

Cox appears to be one of several candidates to leave the door open for a potential run at the office and a rematch with Newsom next year.

In his first tweet since projections showed Newsom’s victory, Cox noted that the recall election “put the career politicians and insiders on notice.”

“Each and every person who voted to recall @GavinNewsom has sent a message to Sacramento. We need to fix this state,” his tweet read.