JUNE 3, 2026
California governor primary leaves Becerra and Hilton leading, Steyer in third with counting ongoing
Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton led the field in California's top-two primary for governor as of early Wednesday, with Democrat Tom Steyer in third place and votes still being counted. The Associated Press had not called the race, and the state's history of significant post-Election Day vote updates from mail and drop-off ballots meant the outcome remained uncertain. All roughly 60 to 61 candidates appeared on a single ballot, and only the top two finishers will advance to the November general election.
California's open primary for governor produced no declared winners early Wednesday after a campaign that turned largely on the state's high cost of living and the question of whether voters wanted experienced leadership or change. Becerra, Hilton, and Steyer each addressed supporters on primary night, but all acknowledged the count would continue in the days ahead.
Becerra, a former California attorney general, member of Congress, and Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Biden, pitched himself as the candidate best positioned to resist the Trump administration. As recently as April, he was polling in single digits, and his primary-night speech leaned into that trajectory. "The underdog stayed in the fight," he told supporters. If elected governor in November, he would be California's first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco briefly served in 1875.
Hilton, a British-born political commentator and former adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron who became an American citizen five years ago, was endorsed by President Trump in April — a development that, according to NPR, appeared to blunt the momentum of the other major Republican in the race, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. Hilton told supporters at his Huntington Beach watch party that "change is coming to California and it's long overdue," and he pledged to make the first $100,000 of income tax-free, increase oil production, and freeze in-state college tuition.