In the race for California governor, early results, released by the California secretary of state’s office at 8:41 p.m., showed Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra in a virtual tie for first place, with Democrat Tom Steyer rounding out the top three.
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California’s race for governor hasn’t been this unpredictable in a long time, and as results began trickling in on election night for Tuesday’s primary election, the three top-polling candidates in recent days continued to battle it out for one of the top two coveted spots needed to advance to the November general election.
Besides Becerra, Hilton and Steyer, other leading candidates among the 61 on voters’ ballots headed into Election Day included Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, and four Democrats: former Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
Bianco, Porter, Mahan, Villaraigosa and Thurmond — in that order — rounded out the list of leading candidates in the partial results reported at 8:20 p.m.
California’s “jungle primary” election system means the top two vote-getters will, regardless of party affiliation, face off in the November general election.
Final vote counts won’t be known for a while, as ballot counting is expected to continue over the next several days, if not weeks.
But Villaraigosa, who consistently polled in the low single digits, conceded about half an hour after voting ended Tuesday night.
In a statement, the former L.A. mayor said he ran so that young people can afford their first home in California and to provide solutions for struggling families.
“California is at an inflection point, and our representatives and my party need to start taking these challenges seriously so that we can once again make California the envy of the nation and the globe,” he said.
“I’m not stepping aside from the cause, only from the race,” he added. “To everyone who gave this campaign a piece of their hope: hold on to it. California is worth fighting for – and I’m not done fighting.”
To say that this year’s gubernatorial race has seen its share of twists and turns would be an understatement.
More than 60 candidates’ names appeared on the ballot to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom, though some had dropped out ahead of Tuesday’s election.
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With no clear frontrunner, there were speculations just a few months ago that Democratic candidates would split the vote because of the large number of candidates from their party — a scenario that would allow the top two Republican candidates to land in the No. 1 and 2 spots, thus locking Democrats out of the runoff election in the fall.
Democratic leaders were so concerned that the chair of the state’s Democratic Party went so far as to urge low-polling candidates in the party to drop out to help consolidate votes for a stronger-performing Democratic candidate.
Then, President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton in early April, helping the former Fox News host to further distance himself from Bianco. That widening gap gave Democrats an opportunity to move in.
Several days later, Eric Swalwell, who was a top Democratic candidate, dropped out of the race following allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies. He also resigned from Congress.
With Swalwell out, Becerra, who is also a former California attorney general, saw a surge in poll numbers, going from low single-digits all the way to the top of the field.
In more recent days, as the race tightened, some polls had Becerra leading, with Steyer and Hilton in a close race for second. That spurred talks that if Steyer comes out ahead of Hilton, Republicans could be locked out of the general election — a reversal of the headlines from just a few months ago.
That prompted Hilton to urge Bianco to drop out to give Hilton a better chance at placing in the top two. But Hilton’s plea went unheeded.
California is a solidly blue state, where Democrats enjoy a 20-point voter registration advantage over Republicans.
According to the from the secretary of state’s office, 45% of California’s registered voters are Democrats, while 25% are Republicans. “No party preference” voters make up another 23%.
The last time California voters elected a Republican to run the state was 20 years ago, when then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won reelection.
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California gubernatorial candidtate Steve Hilton speaks to the media before the start of his election night watch party at The Waterfront Beach Resort on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks to supporters at the Long Beach Arena on May 31, 2026 in Long Beach, California. With less than two days to go before the California primary, Becerra, the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, does his closing rally of the ‘Becerra Era: Fight for California’ tour. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
California Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer looks on while speaking to members of the press at the Wilshire/LaBrea Metro station on June 02, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer rode the new D Line as California voters head to the polls on California primary day. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
After arriving at San Jose Diridon Station, San Jose Mayor and California gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan, center, and his wife, Silvia Scandar Mahan, react to seeing his supporters before walking to his election night party Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Katie Porter, Democratic candidate for governor, speaks to the media after a get-out-the-vote rally in Orange on Saturday, May 30, 2026.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
California gubernatorial candidtate Steve Hilton speaks to the media before the start of his election night watch party at The Waterfront Beach Resort on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
