After a turbulent primary campaign, Xavier Becerra, a former Biden administration official, was on the verge of pulling off a Lazarus-like comeback in the California governor\u2019s race, based on election night returns.<\/p>\n
And Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host endorsed by President Trump, also appeared likely to advance to the general election for the state\u2019s highest office.<\/p>\n
The race was still too close to call on Tuesday night. But Los Angeles residents went to bed knowing that Mayor Karen Bass would proceed to the November election, according to The Associated Press. And her opponent could be Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star who had a strong showing but had to wait for more ballots to be counted.<\/p>\n
Mr. Pratt and Mr. Hilton, both Republicans who got their start in television, tried to harness voter frustration and anger at the Democrats who control nearly all levels of government in much of California. If they advance, however, each would face long odds in general election races where Democrats have dominated for decades.<\/p>\n
Here are key takeaways from the early results.<\/p>\n
Many voters cast their ballots strategically.<\/p>\n
For months, the California governor\u2019s race featured a long roster of Democratic candidates whom voters found unfamiliar or uninspiring. Several polls indicated that two Republicans could sweep the primary because too many Democrats were splitting the vote and their supporters were not coalescing behind any one candidate.<\/p>\n
Democratic leaders began to panic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dynamics shifted in the race as Republican voters consolidated behind Steve Hilton after he received President Trump\u2019s endorsement, and Democratic voters started paying more attention to their options after Representative Eric Swalwell dropped out amid accusations of sexual assault<\/a>.<\/p>\n By May, there was little chance of two Republicans winning the primary. But Democratic voters hung on to the fear that their party could get shut out of the general election if they didn\u2019t get behind a front-runner.<\/p>\n Many felt the responsibility to cast a vote strategically so that their party would not be locked out. They considered who was ahead and who would win, and seemed to focus less on the policies that each candidate proposed for the future of California.<\/p>\n \u201cI liked Katie Porter, but I\u2019m a realistic person,\u201d said Dennis McLin, 43, a social worker from Riverside, Calif. \u201cI didn\u2019t think she had a good chance of winning, so I voted for Xavier Becerra.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms. Porter was in a distant fifth place in initial returns and conceded the race on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n California\u2019s top-two primary may be on its last legs.<\/p>\n California has been using the top-two primary system for 15 years, but it has never caused as much consternation as it did this election.<\/p>\n Democratic fears that two Republicans could sweep the governor\u2019s race \u2014 in one of the nation\u2019s bluest states \u2014 triggered a new effort to repeal the system this spring.<\/p>\n Under the current approach, all candidates of all parties run on the same primary ballot, and the top two finishers advance to the general election. The approach was intended to empower independent voters and force candidates to moderate their views.<\/p>\n But sensing voter frustration this year, a Democratic strategist put together a bipartisan coalition to back an initiative called \u201cUndo the Top Two\u201d<\/a> that could come before voters in 2028. It would return California to a traditional primary in which one candidate from each party advances to the general election.<\/p>\n If the initiative qualifies for a future election, a key question will be whether voters want to return to a system that empowers the parties.<\/p>\n Republicans have a durable base in California.<\/p>\n Democrats are the dominant force in California politics, having controlled the state legislature and governor\u2019s mansion for more than a decade. Nearly half of all registered voters<\/a> in the state are Democrats, outnumbering Republicans nearly two to one.<\/p>\n But Republican voters have remained a durable minority in California. With roughly half of the estimated ballots counted, Mr. Hilton received about 27 percent of the vote. Chad Bianco, the other Republican in the race and the Riverside County sheriff, had 11 percent.<\/p>\n Their combined support was consistent with historical norms for Republicans in the state. In 2024, for example, Donald J. Trump received 38 percent of the vote. In the 2022 governor\u2019s race, Brian Dahle, a Republican state lawmaker, received 40 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n A big blowout for Big Tech.<\/p>\n