The race for California governor is on track for a two-person runoff in November between veteran Democratic politician Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, a British-born television personality endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Becerra, who served as US health secretary in the Biden administration, took first place in the primary with more than 27% of the vote, while Hilton was in second at 25%, according to a tally by Decision Desk HQ, which projected the pair would be the top two finishers.
Under California’s primary system, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election in November regardless of party. The state’s voting system, dominated by mail-in ballots that can legally arrive up to a week after election day, can mean results aren’t clear for days.
The runoff sets up a showdown along party lines for the governorship of the nation’s most populous state. Becerra vowed to tackle California’s affordability crisis and has won the backing of companies such as Meta Platforms Inc. and Chevron Corp. He will start off with the advantage in the Democratic-dominated state.
The primary’s outcome left Becerra’s main Democratic opponent, progressive billionaire Tom Steyer, reeling.
Steyer spent more than $212 million on his self-funded campaign, helping make the California primary into one of the most expensive gubernatorial contests in US history. He has criticized Becerra for declining to disavow Chevron’s support, echoing other liberal Democrats who see Becerra as too moderate.
Alongside an unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign, Steyer has spent more than $500 million seeking — and failing — to win high political offices.
Read more: Billionaire ‘Class Traitor’ Steyer Wants to Tax His Fellow Rich
While late ballot returns favored Steyer, he is ultimately projected to fall short of overtaking Hilton. Even still, as the vote count progressed and Steyer began to shrink the gap, President Donald Trump alleged without evidence that Democrats were rigging the election in the state.
California’s current governor, Gavin Newsom, was barred from seeking reelection by term limits. The Democrat, one of the party’s top foils against the Trump administration, is widely seen as eyeing a run for president himself in 2028.
The result is a contrast to Los Angeles, where Democratic incumbent Mayor Karen Bass will face off against fellow Democrat Nithya Raman, a progressive who successfully edged out Republican Spencer Pratt for second place. Raman initially trailed Pratt —- a former reality television star — by 8 percentage points when polls closed June 2, but narrowed the gap as election officials counted additional mail-in ballots.
Read more: LA Mayor Race Flips as Socialist Beats Reality TV Star Pratt
Becerra and Hilton triumphed over a crowded field in a race marked by voter indecision, a flood of billionaire money and scandal when the early Democratic frontrunner, Eric Swalwell, dropped out amid a series of sexual misconduct allegations.
After languishing at the back of the pack early in the gubernatorial campaign, Becerra surged after Swalwell exited the race. He then went on to secure the backing of influential Democratic groups and powerful California unions, as well as leading companies.
The son of Mexican immigrants, Becerra would be the state’s first Latino governor since the 19th century if elected. The 68-year-old California native has steadily climbed the ranks of Democratic politics, first winning election as a state lawmaker 1990. He went on to serve in Congress before becoming California attorney general. He then took the reins as US health secretary under Biden during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Becerra has said he will facilitate building new homes and defend the state’s liberal bent from the Trump administration.
Republican Long Shot
Hilton, 56, has campaigned on criticizing Democratic power in California, where the party holds all statewide offices and supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature.
A former Fox News host, he has found traction in California by tapping into voter anger and assailing the results of Democratic rule. Hilton has promised to eliminate state taxes on individuals’ first $100,000 in income, ease regulations and make California the “crypto capital of the world.” Hilton has never held elective office but he previously served as an adviser to former UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
Hilton’s campaign, a long shot in deep-blue California, would need to draw strong support from the roughly quarter of voters who are registered Republicans in the state while also swaying moderate Democrats and independents frustrated with the state’s high cost of living.
Becerra has drawn fire for a lack of policy specifics on how he would spur housing development. In addition, his record as health and human services secretary has come under scrutiny. Under his leadership, the agency failed to properly vet caretakers of unaccompanied migrant children and some kids were sent into exploitative work conditions, according to a New York Times investigation. Becerra disputed the reporting.
Critics also seized on former top Becerra aides pleading guilty to improperly siphoning money from one of his previous political campaigns, though Becerra himself has not been implicated.
Steyer isn’t the only billionaire stung by the results. Some of Silicon Valley’s wealthiest citizens had lined up behind moderate Democrat Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose, but his bid failed to take off. Other lower-polling candidates included a former mayor of Los Angeles and former Congresswoman Katie Porter, a protege of Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.