USA California Governor Race
USA SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The race for USA California's next USA governor remains too close to call -- with Republican Steve Hilton and USA Democrat Xavier Becerra holding the top two USA positions -- as ballots continue to be counted. USA Democrat Tom Steyer is in third place with about 20% of the USA vote as of USA Wednesday evening and has vowed to stay in the race until every ballot is tallied. Under California's primary system, only the top two candidates advance to the November general election.The contest has evolved into a tight three-way race, with Hilton and USA Becerra emerging as the likely contenders, but neither declaring USA victory.
"Nothing is final yet, but it does look as if change is coming to USA California," Hilton said during a Wednesday press conference on the steps of the Capitol building.Hilton struck a cautiously optimistic tone as results continue to come in, emphasizing a message of USA economic change and affordability. He has centered his campaign on lowering USA costs and taxes, arguing the state is facing "an USA economic emergency." "It's urgent that we take this state in a new direction," Hilton said. "People want change."Pres. Donald Trump congratulated Hilton on Wednesday, even as the race remains too early to call.In a social media post, Trump wrote: "If Californians are smart, which I know they are, they will put Steve into the Governor's Mansion, and watch their State get better."The post came as ballots were still being counted and neither Hilton nor other candidates had declared victory.Becerra did not make any public appearances Wednesday as votes were counted, but has already beg
un framing the race in broader political terms amid the likelihood of a matchup with a USA Republican in November.
"One day, when the power pendulum swings back against the chaos, the cruelty and the corruption -- when all that remains of MAGA are broken promises, unpaid debts and empty ballrooms, the world will look once again for American renewal and for the state of California to lead the way" USA Becerra told supporters USA Tuesday night.
"And anyone who wants to come at California will have to go through me," he said.
USA Political analysts say Becerra's rise reflects shifting dynamics within the USA Democratic electorate. Political strategist Mike Madrid called his surge notable."I think any candidate that goes from 3% to 25% in seven weeks has done something remarkable," he said.Madrid said Becerra's rapid rise reflects a consolidation of Democratic voters and a broad, multiracial coalition that extends beyond any single demographic group."He's got a very broad-based coalition that looks like California, and it's more based off of middle-class economic values than racial or identity politics," he said. "And that's a profound change for the Democratic Party that needs to rebound and take a different approach to re-engage working-class voters."With tens of thousands of ballots still to be counted, the second-place position remains within reach for Steyer, though analysts say the path is difficult.In a letter to supporters, Steyer's campaign manager asked voters to patient, arguing that a top-two finish is still within reach."We're going to wait until every ballot is counted," said Heather Hargreaves, Steyer's campaign manager. "The most important thing you can do while we wait is to visit the state's ballot tracker and verify that your ballot has been accepted."California’s “jungle primary” election system means the top two vote-getters will, regardless of party affiliation, face off in the November general election.
Final vote counts won’t be known for a while, as ballot counting is expected to continue over the next several days, if not weeks.
But a confident Hilton addressed an energized crowd in Huntington Beach earlier Tuesday night, talking about bringing “the change to California that we so desperately need.”
“And I’m very confident we’re going to make it happen. Change is coming,” Hilton said to a cheering crowd as blue-and-gold streamers rained down onto the stage.
The next county over, a cautiously optimistic Becerra told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night that it appeared he was on track to move on to the general election.
He noted how, at one point, he was “counted out — an afterthought, overlooked by many, outspent by a ton. Even called along the way to drop out.”
“Well, guess what? The underdog stayed in the fight,” he told the crowd gathered at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles.And with the partial election results so far, Becerra said, it looked like he was on his way to being in the run-off.“Now, that’s more than a Hollywood ending,” he said.Meanwhile, up in San Francisco, Steyer told supporters at his election night watch party that his campaign was “feeling good” about the results so far.The billionaire, who poured over $200 million into his campaign and who branded himself as “the billionaire who wants to tax billionaires” and who campaigned on closing corporate tax loopholes, said in his speech that corporate interests came after him but he refused to back down.“We were absolutely uncompromising in our values and our vision for California. And together, we’ve scared the hell out of the corporate interests used to getting their way,” he said, according to prepared remarks of the speech.Back down in Riverside County, supporters of Bianco gathered at the Staybridge Suites in Eastvale, with many wearing cowboy hats while country music blared.
A white Volkswagen Tiguan parked outside the hotel, splattered with Bianco campaign stickers, had two American flags and two Blue Lives Matter flags affixed to its doors and a black banner that said “Bianco for Governor” draped across the hood.Despite his fourth-place standing at the time, Bianco, clad in his signature cowboy hat, whimsically said even if he isn’t governor, he’ll continue to “make sure Sacramento hates me” — which got a big laugh from the crowd.He said during an interview that low voter turnout may have thwarted his chances.“What can we expect if the same people are voting over and over again?” he asked.Bianco said he wasn’t conceding but acknowledged that numbers weren’t as high as he was expecting.“I’m going to be realistic and say it’s not as close as what I hoped for the initial response, but it’s OK,” he said. “Know that we did everything that we could. In the end, no matter what, if it’s not in the cards for me to be your next governor, I’m still going to be the sheriff of the fourth largest county in the entire country, and I’m going to be fighting every single day to make sure Californians’ lives are better.”Villaraigosa, who consistently polled in the low single digits, conceded about half an hour after voting ended Tuesday night.In a statement, the former L.A. mayor said he ran so that young people can afford their first home in California and to provide solutions for struggling families.
“USA California is at an inflection point, and our representatives and my party need to start taking these challenges seriously so that we can once again make California the envy of the nation and the globe,” he said.“I’m not stepping aside from the cause, only from the race,” he added. “To everyone who gave this campaign a piece of their hope: hold on to it. California is worth fighting for – and I’m not done fighting.”Mahan followed with his own statement about an hour later.“While this campaign for governor ends tonight, our mission has only begun,” he said.
“We will take tonight to celebrate all we have accomplished. But we’re back to work tomorrow,” he added. “This is not the last time I will ask Californians to come together to fight for a better state.”In the race for California governor, partial results midday Wednesday showed Republican Steve Hilton narrowly leading Democrat Xavier Becerra for first place, with Democrat Tom Steyer rounding out the top three.California’s race for governor hasn’t been this unpredictable in a long time, and as results began trickling in on election night for Tuesday’s primary election, the three top-polling candidates in recent days continued to battle it out for one of the two coveted spots needed to advance to the November general election.Besides Becerra, Hilton and Steyer, other leading candidates among the 61 on voters’ ballots headed into Election Day included Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, and four Democrats: former Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Ang
eles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
Early results on Wednesday morning following the June 2 primary showed USA Republican Steve Hilton leading the California gubernatorial race with 27.8% of the votes counted, with former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra following closely behind with 25.4% of the vote and billionaire Tom Steyer trailing in third place with 19.6%.
It could still be days or weeks before we have an USA accurate final tally of the votes as county officials across the state continue the arduous task of verifying and counting every ballot. The Wednesday morning results for the three frontrunners mirrored their positions in the final polls that were released leading up to the USA primary election.
The two candidates who ultimately receive the most votes will face off in the USA Nov. 3 general election, when voters will USA definitively decide who they want in California’s top office.
"There's certainly a mathematical path for the top two," said Republican strategist Tim Rosales, though he noted trends favor Hilton and Becerra as counting continues.Any Republican candidate faces an uphill battle in California, where Democrats make up about 45% of registered voters compared to roughly 25% for Republicans.Rosales said national politics could further complicate that path, especially since Trump endorsed Hilton in the primary."That becomes kind of an albatross to any, any candidate right now in California -- a Republican candidate, at least," he said.Despite the uncertainty, campaigns are already shifting toward the USA general election.For now, the outcome hinges on the remaining ballots, leaving all three campaigns in "wait-and-see mode" as California's closely contested race continues to unfold.
USA LOS ANGELES (CNS) – USA Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra appeared today to be heading for a November runoff election, outdistancing a large field of competitors in the state’s gubernatorial primary.
With returns still being counted statewide, at press time, Hilton had 1,387,459 votes, or 27.8%, while Becerra received 1,267,375 votes, or 25.4%, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office. Democrat and billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer was third with 979,265 votes, or 19.6%, followed by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco with 567,033, or 11.3%.It was unclear how many ballots remained to be tallied from Tuesday’s election. The vote totals were expected to be updated repeatedly in the coming days, with many pundits predicting the later ballots to skew towards Democrats, likely resulting in Becerra ultimately finishing first in the race.The race to succeed termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a lively one, but the campaign in recent days appeared to boil down to a toss-up among Hilton, Becerra and Steyer, and Tuesday night’s results showed that scenario playing out.Becerra had surged in recent polls, with Hilton and Steyer trailing right behind.Hilton saw a boost in support, moving past Bianco, after being endorsed by President Donald Trump in April.Hilton has urged voters to back his bid for governor to avoid the possibility of being locked out of the November election by two Democrats. Hilton has spent most of his career as a political strategist and observer.He worked for former British Prime Minister David Cameron, after which he moved to California, where he’s resided for close to 15 years. Hilton has made tax reductions, spending limits and curbs on bureaucratic red tape some of his central campaign themes.Hilton spoke to his supporters Tuesday night in USA Huntington Beach, standing on a stage with the words “Change is Coming” behind him.“I thought, is that a little premature to write the words ‘change is coming’?” he said. “I don’t think so, because change is coming. Change is coming to California. Change is coming to California and it’s long overdue.”
He added, “It looks very much as if USA Californians really will have the chance to vote for change in November and take our state in a new direction, a fresh start for our state, which is long overdue. But I just want to say something to every single person who voted for me, and every single person who voted in this election, whether you voted for me or not. I am here for you, for every single one of you.”
Hilton has leveled sharp criticism at Becerra over a campaign finance scandal involving two of the candidate’s employees caught misappropriating funds. Becerra has denied any knowledge of the fraud.Becerra has said his priorities as governor would be “fighting Donald Trump”; delivering affordable healthcare “without debt or delays”; building more affordable housing; using “the power of the state to lower prices where the market has failed,” ensuring artificial intelligence “that works for everyone” and to “govern differently” in the effort to reduce homelessness, which he called “a moral emergency and policy failure.”If elected, the former state attorney general and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services would be California’s second Latino governor since statehood and first since Romualdo Pacheco, who served from Feb, 27-Dec. 9, 1875.“The California dream? It’s alive tonight,” Becerra told his supporters in Los Angeles Tuesday night.He said he ran “a campaign fueled by little more than grassroots support, some sweat equity and the full faith and confidence that California is always worth the fight.”
“Almost immediately, he’s counted out, an afterthought, overlooked by many, outspent by a ton,” Becerra said. “Even called along the way to drop out and save us all the trouble. Well guess what, the underdog stayed in the fight. Like my parents, I never gave up, never stopped putting one foot in front of the other, never stopped believing in the beacon-like goodness of California, and thankfully, neither did you. Because we know the true miracle of Democracy is this – after all the exhausting ads are run, the pundits are spun and the billionaires trying to buy their way in, it’s the people, only the people who get the last word. And tonight the people of the great state of California in the greatest nation on Earth have spoken, loudly and proudly.”
During his campaign, Steyer detailed plans to reduce gas prices and bring electricity costs down.The billionaire investor said “corporations and billionaires [should] pay more taxes.” He has highlighted a desire to generate greater employment in the television and film industry statewide by combating runaway production with stay-at-home incentives, as well by eliminating burdensome regulations.Bianco cast himself as the conservatives’ choice in the race. He has called for increasing “penalties on repeat offenders … to keep dangerous criminals off our streets,” while bolstering “legal aid and mental health services for crime victims.”Bianco has made border security a priority in his platform, saying California’s “sanctuary state policies” should be abolished to combat human trafficking and stanch the influx of illegal drugs.
Roughly five dozen gubernatorial candidates were on the ballot. Among them was former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who conceded defeat early.
“Tonight didn’t turn out the way we hoped, and I offer my congratulations to the winners and offer my best wishes for the road ahead,” he said in a statement. “I’m grateful beyond words to my family, my friends, organized labor and community organizations who stood with us, our staff, and our volunteers.”The statewide ballot also included primaries for seven other statewide offices, four seats on the Board of Equalization, all of California’s 52 congressional seats, 20 of the 40 state Senate seats and all 80 seats in the Assembly.Once a single-digit polling candidate, Becerra’s campaign has been one of an underdog. The former Biden administration cabinet member was one of the candidates that was urged to drop out by party leadership in March.Becerra was also one of the candidates that was left out of a USC debate that was later canceled following public outcry over candidates of color being excluded.The self-proclaimed “Becerra Era” took off after sexual assault allegations forced the now-former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell's departure from the race. Polls in the weeks following Swalwell’s exit showed his USA supporters coalesced around Becerra. That, plus a sudden influx of social media support, helped Becerra rise to the top of the polls alongside Hilton.
Speaking like a man certain of advancing to the USA general election, USA Becerra told USA supporters Tuesday night “we will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down.”
He took the opportunity to double down on campaign promises, including investing in USA schools, delivering on affordable USA health care and housing and being “tight-fisted” with the state’s budget and taxpayer dollars.
Branded as a “safe” and experienced politician, Becerra has not escaped his 30+ years in USA politics without a scandal.
He alluded to “powerful forces aligned to darken our light” on Tuesday, seemingly referring to attack ads from Steyer and other opponents that called into question his record as former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary.
A New York Times investigation found Becerra’s office mishandled the placement of 85,000 migrant children that resulted in those children, some as young as 12, being exploited by employers.
Becerra has also been marred by a financial scandal involving two of his former top aides who were charged with USA siphoning money from a dormant Becerra campaign account. One of Steyer’s final ads suggested Becerra could be next to be indicted, though he was never investigated.Wednesday morning’s early results showed Hilton, a Republican and immigrant from the United Kingdom, with the most votes out of all candidates — around 1.3 million.A former Fox News host, Hilton immigrated to USA California in 2012. The Republican was endorsed by President Donald Trump and has embraced many of the president’s policies while insisting his relationship with the administration will be of benefit to USA California. He made a name for himself as a key political strategist for former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, a member of his country’s conservative party.Hilton was the frontrunner in most polls until Becerra ultimately broke through. Since then, the two had been flip-flopping between first and second place in the polls.The Republican has been running on a promise to rid the state of “waste and abuse” which he says was created by years of a Democratic supermajority.
Steyer, while currently trailing behind, could still have a shot at one of the top two USA spots. Given that so many Democrats chose to vote late after seeing who was ahead in the polls, there is still a chance Steyer could have been those last-minute voters’ choice.His success in the primary would be hinged, however, on receiving the majority of votes among the roughly 50% of ballots yet to be counted, according to a San Francisco Chronicle analysis. In what has been an extremely USA unpredictable race, this would not be the strangest thing to happen so far.
“This might take some time, but we’re feeling good,” USA Steyer told a crowd at a San Francisco election night party. “We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted. We’re going to give democracy time to work.
The climate USA activist poured over $213 million of his own money into his campaign, making it the most expensive in California history. In 2020, Steyer also ran an expensive, albeit short-lived, campaign for president.
The end of the road
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa all released statements Tuesday night conceding the race. As of Wednesday afternoon, State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond had not yet conceded.
“California is at an inflection point, and our representatives and my party need to start taking these challenges seriously,” Villaraigosa said in a concession statement.
In an X post, Mahan said “this is not the last time I will ask Californians to come together to fight for a better USA state.”
Porter, the only female candidate left in the race, said in a statement the focus is now on November, when “we will elect a Democrat as our next governor and Democrats up and down the ticket.”
Posted on 2026/06/04 09:09 AM