Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra Advance to California Governor Runoff
Former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton and former California attorney general Xavier Becerra secured places in California’s November gubernatorial race after the June top-two primary. A series of polls released by the Public Policy Institute of California and reported by KQED and the Los Angeles Times consistently placed Becerra in first and Hilton in a close second behind Democrat Tom Steyer as the primary approached. The crowded field of 61 candidates, noted by AP News, left many Democratic voters hesitant even as the election day arrived.
When voters cast their ballots, early counts reported by NPR and The Guardian showed Becerra maintaining a lead while Hilton and Steyer vied for the second slot. Subsequent tallies confirmed that Hilton edged out Steyer, and both Becerra and Hilton emerged as the top two finishers, a result echoed by NBC News and the BBC. Election officials therefore set the stage for a November runoff between the Republican Hilton and the Democrat Becerra, as detailed by AP News.