Xavier Becerra advances to runoff in California Governor race

What This is

• Xavier Becerra, a Democrat and former U.S. health secretary and California attorney general, has advanced to the November general election runoff for California governor under the state’s top-two primary system.
• The second runoff spot has been contested between Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host endorsed by Donald Trump, and Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire who heavily self-funded his campaign.
• Late-counted ballots shifted the governor primary standings, with Becerra making a late surge that put him ahead of Hilton in some updates after early returns had shown Hilton leading.
• Vote counting has taken days because California relies heavily on mail ballots and has rules allowing ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive later, along with signature verification and provisional ballot reviews.
• The slow count has kept multiple high-profile contests uncertain beyond the governor’s race, including the Los Angeles mayoral race where Karen Bass is projected to advance while second place remains close.
• The governor campaign debate has centered on affordability issues such as housing and energy costs, as well as homelessness, public safety, taxes, and climate and energy policy.
• The open-seat contest to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom drew an unusually large field, and the top-two structure raised fears among Democrats that the runoff could exclude their party if their vote split too many ways.

Why This Matters

• The result will set the governing direction of the nation’s largest state economy on costs, housing, energy, and public safety.
• California’s top-two primary can produce general elections that do not reflect party balance, shaping how parties recruit candidates and coordinate campaigns.
• Prolonged vote counting tests public trust in election administration and forces a tradeoff between speed and ensuring eligible ballots are verified and included.
• High levels of self-funding and outside spending raise questions about political influence and the accessibility of statewide campaigns to non-wealthy candidates.