June 9 - Republican television commentator Steve Hilton was projected on Tuesday to move forward to the November 3 general election after California's June 2 open primary, with Democratic former cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra projected as his opponent.
From the first vote tallies on election night, Becerra and Hilton occupied the top two positions, but media organizations withheld a projection until they were satisfied that a trailing candidate could no longer overcome the gap. Billionaire Tom Steyer, who finished third in the early counts, had remained close enough to leave a mathematical path to advance until the projections were issued.
California's election process contributed to the delayed clarity. Mail-in ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day may be accepted if they are received up to seven days after Election Day, and state rules allow up to 30 days after the June 2 election for counting and verification of ballots. The secretary of state then has up to 38 days to certify the results, or until July 10.
According to the Associated Press counts reported after the primary, Becerra led the field with 27.9% of the vote, Hilton followed with 24.9%, and Steyer held 22.6% before the projection removed his path to the top two. California's so-called "jungle primary" advances the two highest vote-getters to the general election regardless of party affiliation.
The victor of the November contest will succeed term-limited Democrat Gavin Newsom and assume stewardship of a roughly $4 trillion state economy - among the largest in the world - while confronting persistent policy challenges, including water management, housing affordability and homelessness.
Becerra's public service record includes time as California's attorney general and as a U.S. congressman from Los Angeles, and he served as secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. If elected governor in November, he would be the first Latino elected to that office in a state where about 40% of residents are Hispanic or Latino.
Hilton is a British-born former Fox News host who received an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Earlier in his career he served as an adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron and became a U.S. citizen in 2021.
Steyer, a hedge fund billionaire, previously spent $350 million on a presidential campaign in 2020 and injected another $200 million of his own funds into this gubernatorial bid. He ran as a progressive, advocating for higher taxes on billionaires, himself included.
Republicans have not held a statewide office in California since the end of former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's term in January 2011.
Implications and context
- The projected advancement of Hilton and Becerra locks in a partisan contrast for the November election under California's top-two primary system.
- Extended ballot-acceptance and certification timelines mean final tallies and formal certification will follow over several weeks, sustaining some uncertainty in official results.
- The incoming governor will take charge of a multitrillion-dollar state economy and face significant policy pressures on water, housing affordability and homelessness.