{"id":2611298,"date":"2026-06-05T20:36:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T00:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-governor-race-becerra-advances-to-november-showdown\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T20:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T00:37:12","slug":"california-governor-race-becerra-advances-to-november-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-governor-race-becerra-advances-to-november-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"California governor race: Becerra advances to November showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-governor-race-becerra-advances-to-november-showdown%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611298&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Xavier Becerra, President joe Biden\u2019s former health and human services secretary, has moved ahead in California\u2019s all-party gubernatorial primary and secured the first spot for the November general election. With about 66% of votes counted, he leads among more than 60 candidates with roughly 26.7%. Steve Hilton, a Republican former Fox News host, is in second, and Democrat Tom Steyer is close behind in third.<\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s system sends the top two vote-getters-nonetheless of party-to the November 3 runoff if no one reaches 50% in the primary. The article notes Democrats\u2019 earlier concerns that a fractured field could leave two Republicans advancing, though that outcome would depend on whether the current results hold.<\/p>\n<p>The race is also framed as a contest to replace term-limited Democratic Gov.Gavin Newsom, who is widely expected to pursue a 2028 presidential run. Becerra\u2019s rise followed political turmoil in the Democratic field, including the collapse and exit of leading contender Eric Swalwell after allegations, leaving Becerra to surge to the top. He brings extensive experience in California and federal roles, including decades in public service and Cabinet experience in the Biden management.<\/p>\n<p>Hilton is described as a consistent top-two performer in polls,campaigning aggressively across the state and focusing on homelessness,crime,drugs,human trafficking,and affordability issues-while Trump has already endorsed Hilton.Steyer, meanwhile, is highlighted as a billionaire-backed progressive candidate whose wealth and connections to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-climate-agenda-wont-replace-jobs-it-seeks-to-kill-separate-ap-wapo-fact-checks-suggest\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Climate Agenda Won\u2019t Replace Jobs It Seeks To Kill, Separate AP, WaPo Fact-Checks Suggest\">fossil fuel industry<\/a> have become major campaign issues, despite his claim that he shifted away from the firm to focus on climate work. Newsom has declined to endorse anyone in the primary but is expected to back Becerra in the general election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>LOS ANGELES \u2014 <\/strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xavier-becerra\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1719\">Xavier Becerra<\/a>, former President Joe Biden\u2019s health and human services secretary, advanced to November\u2019s general election in California\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">gubernatorial race<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With roughly 66% of <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">the vote counted, Becerra emerged from a crowded field of more than 60 candidates with about <\/span>26.7%, according to the <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/elections-2026\/california-primary-results-governor\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/elections-2026\/california-primary-results-governor\/\">Associated Press<\/a><\/em>, inking the first spot for the general. Hot on his heels is Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, while Democrat <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tom-steyer\/\">Tom Steyer<\/a> is currently in third, with 26.4% and 21%, respectively. Should that result hold, Hilton would advance to November.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4590248\/california-governor-race-primary-results-becerra-hilton-steyer\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Becerra advances in California gubernatorial primary, with Hilton and Steyer locked in battle for second spot<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4597521\/trump-slams-california-still-counting-votes-four-days-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump slams California for still tallying votes four days after primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4596620\/erika-kirk-reposts-ai-spoof-la-mayoral-race\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Erika Kirk reposts AI spoof of Democrats targeting her and LA mayoral race<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California uses an all-party primary system. If no candidate clears 50%, the top two finishers, regardless of party, advance to a Nov. 3 runoff. It had been a nightmare scenario for Democrats, who feared for weeks that a fractured field could allow two Republicans to claim both spots in the deep-blue state. Democrats make up <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/independentvoterproject.org\/voter-stats\/ca\">nearly 45% of registered voters<\/a>, while Republicans are just over 25%, effectively relegating the GOP to third-party status in a state where independents make up about 30% of the electorate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California\u2019s last Republican governor was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who left office in 2011. The candidates are competing to replace <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1426\">Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA), who is term-limited and widely expected to launch a 2028 presidential bid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becerra, who had been polling in the single digits less than two months ago, surged to the top after Eric Swalwell collapsed politically following allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. Swalwell resigned from Congress and exited the gubernatorial race, in which he had been the leading Democratic contender. Since then, Becerra has risen in a contest defined by political newcomers, controversy, and chaos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 68-year-old Sacramento resident brings decades of public service to the race. His resume includes a stint in the California Assembly, 24 years representing Los Angeles in Congress, being the state attorney general, and holding a Cabinet role in the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilton, a onetime adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, has ranked in the top two in nearly every poll conducted this year. He has campaigned across every region of California, boasts the largest number of individual donors, and ranks third in fundraising behind Steyer, a billionaire who poured millions into his own campaign, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who drew support from wealthy Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilton\u2019s campaign stops have often been crowded and energetic. He has argued that 16 years of Democratic control in California has eroded the quality of life across the state. His campaign has centered on homelessness, drugs, crime, human trafficking, free healthcare for undocumented immigrants, and soaring gas prices as evidence of what he describes as the state\u2019s decline.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Steyer, who pledged to be the \u201cbillionaire who can take on the billionaires,\u201d has the backing of progressive groups and figures such as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"41\">Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Steyer\u2019s wealth, how he became rich, and his ties to the fossil fuel industry have become focal points in the race, as voters are concerned about the growing influence of billionaires in California. Steyer, who was the chief executive of Farallon Capital, one of the nation\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-mccormick-and-oz-in-dead-heat-in-pennsylvania-senate-primary\/\" title=\"Poll: McCormick and Oz in Dead Heat in Pennsylvania Senate ...\">largest hedge funds<\/a>, left the firm in 2012 to \u201cfocus full-time on fighting climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite his comments that he made a hard pivot, financial records show he never fully cut ties with the firm he founded, even as it became a major lender to the coal industry after mainstream banks faced pressure to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >stop funding coal mining<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His tax returns from 2021 to 2024, which collectively totaled more than 5,100 pages, showed that he was still invested in several of the firm\u2019s funds. His campaign said that his holdings in Farallon were now worth $34.7 million.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe remains a passive investor,\u201d the campaign said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4588596\/california-primary-races-governor-mayor\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4588596\">CALIFORNIA PRIMARY RACES TO WATCH AS 61 CANDIDATES SEEK GOVERNOR\u2019S MANSION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> has already endorsed Hilton, writing on social media that he has known the London-born conservative commentator for years and describing him as \u201ca truly fine man\u201d capable of turning around a state burdened by notoriously high taxes. California, Trump wrote, \u201chas gone to hell.\u201d He also pointed to many of the state\u2019s problems and blamed Newsom for them. Newsom has rejected those criticisms, saying Trump needs to update his talking points.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Newsom declined to endorse a candidate in the primary, despite pressure from Democrats to intervene or at least bring order to the race. He is widely expected to support Becerra in the general election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LOS ANGELES &#8211; Xavier Becerra leads California governor primary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2611299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26152791992284.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[24665,4045,34059,37411,80922],"class_list":["post-2611298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-becerra","tag-california","tag-election-2024","tag-governor-race","tag-november-showdown"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26152791992284.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611298"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611302,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611298\/revisions\/2611302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}