Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra advance to California governor's runoff

Former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton and former Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra emerged as the two leading candidates in California’s top-two primary, according to NBC News projections. With about 88% of votes counted, Becerra held roughly 28% support and Hilton about 25%, while billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer trailed with around 23% and Republican sheriff Chad Bianco garnered 10%.

California’s reliance on mail-in ballots means final results can take weeks to finalize, a process that has been cited by some officials as a source of misinformation about the integrity of the vote count.

Hilton, a naturalized U.S. citizen who previously worked for former British Prime Minister David Cameron, received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump in April, helping him consolidate Republican backing. Becerra, a former state attorney general and congressman, rose in the polls after the withdrawal of Rep. Eric Swalwell amid allegations of misconduct.

The race pits Hilton, a Republican, against Becerra, a Democrat, in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one and no Republican has held the governor’s office in two decades. Governor Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited, has remained neutral.

During a May primary debate, Hilton criticized the Democratic Party’s long tenure in state government, while Becerra questioned Hilton’s lack of experience in public administration.

"Some of these Democrats on the stage, they talk as if we’re in some parallel universe where Democrats haven’t been running the state for the last 16 years of one-party rule," Hilton said. "What does a Fox News talking head know about running government? You’ve never balanced a budget the size of California’s," Becerra replied.