Xavier Becerra elected governor of California, defeating Steve Hilton
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Democrat Xavier Becerra won California's gubernatorial race, beating Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton, according to NBC News projections.
Democrat Xavier Becerra has been elected governor of California, NBC News projects, defeating Trump-backed Republican Steve Hilton. Becerra, 68, will serve a four-year term succeeding term-limited Democrat Gavin Newsom, who may seek the presidency in 2028. California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, and Donald Trump lost the state by 20 points in the 2024 presidential election.
Becerra previously served as health and human services secretary in the Biden administration, as California’s attorney general, and held twelve terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. His campaign emphasized opposition to the Trump administration and promised to protect state policies on healthcare, housing, wages, and immigrant rights.
The candidate’s platform also called for lowering healthcare costs, expanding housing, addressing price gouging, advancing clean energy, and investing in disaster mitigation. He advocated for regulated AI use and required environmental disclosures for data centers.
Critics from the former Biden administration cited his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, a baby-formula shortage, the mpox outbreak, and the influx of unaccompanied children at the southern border. Becerra advanced from a crowded primary after former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell withdrew amid allegations he denied.
Hilton, a former Fox News host who became a U.S. citizen in 2021, received an endorsement from Donald Trump in April. During a September gubernatorial debate, Becerra criticized Hilton’s tax proposals, saying they repeated Trump’s policies without delivering new results.