Republican television commentator Steve Hilton and Democratic cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra have taken an early lead in California’s open primary race for governor, positioning themselves as the likely contenders to advance to the November 3 general election.
Should these results hold, the outcome would establish a traditional Democrat versus Republican contest, despite initial hopes from both parties to secure both spots in the state’s “jungle primary” system, where candidates from all affiliations appear on a single ballot and the top two vote-getters proceed, irrespective of party.
With 73.4% of election night precincts partially reporting, official results show Hilton ahead with 26.9% of the vote, closely followed by Becerra at 25.8%. Each candidate garnered approximately 1.1 million votes, with Becerra trailing by about 46,000.
Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer was a distant third with 19.7%, more than 250,000 votes behind the leaders. None of the dozens of other candidates managed to reach double-digit percentages.
Becerra, a former state attorney general and U.S. congressman from Los Angeles, also previously served as Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. His victory in November would mark a historic moment, making him the first Latino elected governor in a state where 40% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino.
Hilton, a British-born former Fox News host, received an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
A former adviser to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Hilton became a U.S. citizen in 2021. His campaign focused on issues such as homelessness, affordability, and government regulations, aiming to break a Republican drought in statewide office that has persisted since Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term concluded in January 2011.
Addressing his supporters, Hilton sounded triumphant, hinting at the possibility of following Schwarzenegger as another immigrant governor. “California, what an incredible honor. The first time I’ve run for office, over a million people rising, voting for me this time with a funny accent,” Hilton stated, before leading the crowd in chants of “Change is coming!”
The Democratic field largely coalesced around Becerra after former frontrunner Eric Swalwell withdrew from the race and resigned from the U.S. Congress in April, following sexual assault allegations from a former staffer, which Swalwell denied.
Steyer, despite trailing, expressed optimism to his supporters, saying, “It might take some time to figure out where this is going. We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted. We’re going to give democracy time to work, and we know we finished really strong.”
Elsewhere on the ballot, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass secured an early lead in her re-election bid amidst voter concerns over homelessness, affordability, and the aftermath of the devastating 2025 wildfires.
Bass, a Democrat, garnered 36.6% of the vote, ahead of Republican reality television personality Spencer Pratt, who had 29.8%. City Councilmember Nithya Raman, also a Democrat, was running third with 20.5%. Similar to the gubernatorial primary, the mayoral contest also sends the top two finishers to the November general election.
This primary also serves as the first significant test of a new congressional map, potentially transforming the midterm elections into a high-stakes battle for control of Congress.
After President Donald Trump urged Texas last year to redraw district maps to gain five additional Republican seats, outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom responded by championing a voter initiative designed to swing five California seats into the Democratic column.
Under California’s previous independent redistricting, Democrats already held a substantial 43-9 advantage within the state’s congressional delegation.
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