Steve Hilton, a Republican former Fox News host who was endorsed by President Trump, has secured the second spot in the November general election for California governor, The Associated Press determined on Tuesday. He will face Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who served in the Biden administration.<\/p>\n
The candidates survived an unprecedented barrage of spending for a California governor\u2019s race. Tom Steyer, a billionaire who ran as a progressive Democrat, devoted more than $216 million of his personal fortune toward his primary campaign, finishing third.<\/p>\n
Under California rules, the top two finishers in the primary election, regardless of party, advance to the general election. There had been a chance that Mr. Steyer would face Mr. Becerra in an intraparty battle in November, but Tuesday\u2019s outcome instead sets up a lopsided contest in a state where a Republican has not won the governor\u2019s office in two decades.<\/p>\n
The winner will replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cannot run again because of term limits and is considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate for 2028.<\/p>\n
Mr. Steyer called on his supporters to unite behind Mr. Becerra on Tuesday and said that he understood \u201cwhy so many people just couldn\u2019t stomach voting for a billionaire,\u201d referring to himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to blame them,\u201d Mr. Steyer said in a statement, adding that he would continue fighting to \u201cdismantle a system that only benefits billionaires.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Hilton\u2019s top-two finish seems to run counter to Mr. Trump\u2019s claims<\/a> in recent days that California elections are \u201crigged\u201d to benefit Democrats. Mr. Hilton said on Tuesday that he takes the concern seriously, but that he has had lawyers monitoring the voting process and they have not seen signs of fraud.<\/p>\n The November matchup is one that Mr. Becerra and many Democrats had hoped for, knowing that Mr. Hilton was not just a Republican, but one endorsed by Mr. Trump, who remains deeply unpopular in California.<\/p>\n Days before the election, Mr. Becerra released an ad that highlighted the differences between him and Mr. Hilton, whom the ad called \u201cTrump\u2019s favorite.\u201d While the ad ostensibly bolstered Mr. Becerra\u2019s anti-Trump credentials, it also seemed designed to encourage Republicans to coalesce behind Mr. Hilton and give him enough support to finish second and prevent Mr. Steyer from reaching the general election.<\/p>\n Mr. Hilton has already begun his attacks on Mr. Becerra, casting him as a \u201ccareer politician\u201d who would perpetuate \u201cmore of the same\u201d problems that the state has experienced during Mr. Newsom\u2019s governorship.<\/p>\n Mr. Becerra\u2019s spot in the November contest was determined last Friday, but Mr. Hilton\u2019s position was confirmed only on Tuesday, a week after Election Day, after counties provided their latest vote counts.<\/p>\n California\u2019s slow count, which is because of the large number of people who vote by mail and the cumbersome procedure for processing ballots that arrive in envelopes, has become a flashpoint in recent days. Both Mr. Becerra and Mr. Hilton said on Tuesday that they wished the state were able to count its votes faster.<\/p>\n Mr. Hilton on Tuesday called on the state to direct more money and staff to process ballots after each election. He also urged Californians to support a November ballot measure that would require voters to show identification<\/a> and called on Mr. Becerra to join with him in supporting the Republican-backed measure.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the best way of showing Californians that we really are serious about giving this state the modern, secure, efficient election system that we deserve,\u201d Mr. Hilton said during a campaign stop outside the offices of the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters in Norwalk, Calif.<\/p>\n Mr. Becerra responded by pointing out Mr. Hilton\u2019s ties to Mr. Trump and his claims of election fraud in California<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s who Steve Hilton is aligning himself with,\u201d Mr. Becerra said during a campaign stop at a Latin American market in Los Angeles. \u201cIs that what we would expect of the next governor?\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the voter ID ballot measure would make it more difficult for Californians to vote. He said, however, that he thought the state should devote more resources to vote tabulation.<\/p>\n Mr. Becerra is the first Latino to emerge from a governor primary in California and is well positioned to become the state\u2019s first Latino governor of the modern era.<\/p>\n Mr. Hilton seems eager to compete for Latino voters. The day after Mr. Becerra was announced as a primary winner, Mr. Hilton staged a campaign event at a Mexican seafood restaurant in San Jose. (Last month, however, he lost some dining credibility when he praised a hard-shell offering<\/a> from the original Del Taco fast-food restaurant as a \u201cstreet taco.\u201d)<\/p>\n