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<\/p>\nThe election, which will determine which two candidates face off in November, remains up in the air early with Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton neck-and-neck atop the field. <\/p>\n
Jun 2, 2026<\/p>\n
Updated Jun 3, 2026<\/p>\n
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California Republican Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton waves to supporters at his primary night event on June 2, 2026 in Huntington Beach. Candidates for California governor are Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton,Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa. Ballot tracking data heading into Tuesday evening showed that Republicans were more likely to vote early by mail, while Democratic voters in this deep blue state hung onto their mail-in ballots or chose to vote in person. \u00a0(Mario Tama\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cHere in Hollywood\u2019s hometown, we love a good underdog success story,\u201d he said, drawing parallels between his campaign and the life his immigrant parents built in California. \u201cGuess what? The underdog stayed in the fight. Like my parents, I never gave up. Never stopped putting one foot in front of the other. Never stopped believing in the beacon-like goodness of California. And, thankfully, neither did you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was trailing the three frontrunners late Tuesday, with 11% of the vote. And the other better known Democratic candidates \u2014 former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, San Jos\u00e9 Mayor Matt Mahan and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa \u2014 were all hovering in single digits. Villaraigosa and Mahan conceded the race within the hour after polls closed, followed by Porter shortly after 10 p.m.<\/p>\n
At his watch party in Huntington Beach, the British-born Hilton \u2014 who became a U.S. citizen just five years ago \u2014 said it was the \u201chonor of his lifetime\u201d to receive over 1 million votes so far.<\/p>\n
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People watch Tom Steyer speak at his election watch party on election day during the California gubernatorial primary at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on June 2, 2026. Candidates for California governor are Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa. (T\u00e2m V\u0169\/KQED)<\/p>\n
\u201cChange is coming to California and it\u2019s long overdue,\u201d Hilton said. \u201cWe\u2019re not there yet, but it\u2019s looking good. It looks very much as if Californians really will have the chance to vote for change in November and take our state in a new direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
But nothing is guaranteed for Becerra or Hilton yet.\u00a0 The early results could shift in part because of unusual voting patterns in this primary election: Ballot tracking data heading into Tuesday evening showed that Republicans were more likely to vote early by mail, while Democratic voters in this deep blue state hung onto their mail-in ballots<\/a> or chose to vote in person.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the reverse of recent elections, which saw more Democrats voting by mail and Republicans tending to vote in person on Election Day.<\/p>\n Steyer urged his supporters to be patient Tuesday evening. Speaking at his watch party at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, he railed against the big companies, including PG&E and Chevron, that opposed his candidacy. \u201cTogether, we\u2019ve scared the hell out of the corporate interests used to getting their way,\u201d Steyer said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt might take some time to figure out where this is going. We\u2019re going to wait until every ballot is counted. We\u2019re going to give democracy time to work. And we know we finished really strong.\u201d<\/p>\n The race remained crowded and unsettled to the end, and it was defined to some extent by who wasn\u2019t running.<\/p>\n Some of the state\u2019s most high-profile Democrats \u2014 former Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and California Attorney General Rob Bonta \u2014 all passed on a potential bid. Then, in April, the campaign of East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell imploded following allegations of sexual assault and harassment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Swalwell had been gaining in polls and racking up high-profile endorsements, and his exit seemed to primarily benefit Becerra, who had been stuck in single digits<\/a> in many polls. And it quieted fears among Democrats who worried that the messy Democratic field could result in Bianco and Hilton winning the top spots in the June primary.<\/p>\n That would have resulted in a nightmare scenario for Democrats \u2014 a guaranteed Republican governor \u2014 in a state where they outnumber GOP voters 2-to-1. But it was possible because of California\u2019s \u201cjungle primary\u201d system<\/a>, which allows the top two vote-getters to advance, regardless of party affiliation.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aside-California-Governor-2026-Primary-Election-1200x1200@2x.png\")
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Supporters of Democrat California Gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra are seen silhouetted on early election results during an election night event in downtown Los Angeles, on June 2, 2026. (Frederic J. Brown\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n