Early results: Hilton and Becerra lead early in California governor primary race

The high-stakes gubernatorial race in California remained too close to call on Tuesday night, with early results indicating a tight contest in a crowded field.

With a large number of ballots still left to be counted, three candidates emerged at the top: Republican Steve Hilton and Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, News.Az reports, citing the Guardian.

Meanwhile, results were already clear enough for two Democratic candidates — San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — to concede the race shortly after polls closed.

However, significant changes could still occur in the days and weeks ahead. In California, where mail-in voting is widely used and officials take extensive measures to verify each ballot, it can take several days before the top two candidates in both races become clear. In addition, many Democrats strategically submitted their ballots at the last moment, further slowing the statewide vote count.

Becerra and Hilton both expressed confidence that they would advance to the general election, while Steyer said he still considered himself a contender.

“It might take some time to figure out where this is going. We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted. We’re going to give democracy time to work,” Steyer told supporters in San Francisco on Tuesday night.

In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass advanced to the general election, while former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt was leading progressive Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman for the second spot on the November ballot.

California’s primaries were described as among the most chaotic in recent memory.

A total of 61 gubernatorial candidates appeared on the same primary ballot, including two Democrats who had already withdrawn from the race and a professor who changed his name to Barack Obama after the 44th president of the United States.

The competitive race to succeed term-limited Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom began without a clear frontrunner. Following Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in 2024, many Democrats had expected the vice president to return to her home state to run for governor, but she chose a different path.

Other prominent Democrats, including Senator Alex Padilla and Attorney General Rob Bonta, opted not to enter the race, leaving a crowded field of ambitious but relatively untested candidates. The result, according to longtime political observers, was one of the most unpredictable and fragmented gubernatorial contests in recent California history. The race defied nearly every modern political convention. Months passed without any candidate consolidating strong support in a state where Democrats hold nearly a two-to-one voter registration advantage, yet where many residents remain pessimistic and frustrated with leadership.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev