As ballots are still counted, California parties offer sharply different outlooks

SACRAMENTO, Calif — California Republicans celebrated early primary election results Wednesday as party leaders declared the start of their push toward the 2026 general election, while Democrats urged caution as ballots continued to be counted.

“The general election starts today. Victory ’26 starts today,” California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said during an event at party headquarters.

Rankin said the gathering was not intended as a victory party but as a sign of what Republicans believe is momentum heading into the next phase of the election cycle.

“We don’t care what party you’re registered with, we want your vote,” Rankin said. “As long as you’re a Californian and you live in this state and you’re registered to vote in this state, we’re gonna come earn your vote. We wanna meet you. We wanna talk to you.”

The event came after Republicans saw a boost in early election results across multiple races.

Republican Steve Hilton was leading the race for governor in early returns.

California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said it was important to wait until all ballots were counted before drawing conclusions about the results.

“A red wave would be ridiculous. That’s not what you’re seeing,” Hicks said. “Again, this is why we wait for all of the ballots to be counted. I have the utmost faith and confidence that we’ll see a Democrat in the general election.”

Hicks also questioned the timing of the Republican celebration.

“That’s like getting to the 50-yard line and saying you’ve scored a touchdown,” Hicks said. “Having a victory party in the primary election, it doesn’t surprise me that Republicans would do that.”

In congressional races, Republican candidate Robb Tucker was leading Democratic Congressman Ami Bera in early results.

In Congressional District 6, Michael Stansfield, the only Republican in the race, could advance to November. He was leading alongside independent Congressman Kevin Kiley.

Little is known about Stansfield. The tech support employee has raised about $17,400 and said he has been denounced by the Republican Party because of his support for Palestine.

Asked about Stansfield, Rankin said, “I don’t have an answer for that because we haven’t talked to him.”

Stansfield said he is open to a conversation with the Republican Party but does not plan to reach out.

California Primary Election Latest: Results update

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