Hilton, Becerra lead in California gubernatorial primary
Vote counting continued after the California gubernatorial primary, with just over half of the votes cast.
Californians are still watching the results of the June 2 gubernatorial primary, and state election officials continue to count votes.
Currently, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra are in the lead, while fellow Democrat Tom Steyer remains in third place with nearly 60% of votes counted. In the Golden State’s nonpartisan “jungle primary,” only the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the November general election.
This is the third day since in-person voting ended on June 2 that state election officials have processed ballots postmarked by Election Day. President Donald Trump has said in two social media posts that Democrats are “stealing votes” in the gubernatorial race, without providing evidence.
Meanwhile, state officials have warned that it could take weeks to know the actual results. “We ask for patience from all Californians,” Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a June 2 news release. At about $316 million, it is already the most expensive gubernatorial race in history and the fifth-most expensive non-presidential election in advertising, according to media tracking firm AdImpact.
“By giving people as much time as possible to count their votes, we’re sacrificing quick turnout counts and immediate gratification,” Caroline Heldman, a longtime professor of politics and gender studies at Occidental College in Los Angeles, told USA TODAY, noting that 85% of California voters vote by mail.
“Many Democratic voters strategically waited until the last moment to vote,” Heldman added, noting the field is crowded with candidates with little support or party guidance. “And stayer May I think it will have a sufficient effect, but nothing has changed so I don’t really know yet. ”
President Trump claims Democrats are behind California’s slow mail processing
As California voters practiced patience across the state, President Trump caused a stir with a social media post on June 4 in which he suggested, without evidence, that Democrats were “stealing votes” in the governor’s race.
“I hope the Republicans are watching to finally pass the American Rescue Act,” the president said on Truth Social, referring to the controversial proposal that could overhaul U.S. elections.
The president’s comments came a day after he said in another Truth Social post on June 3 that “a large number of mail-in votes were cast with great delay.”
Trump supports Hilton and has long criticized mail-in voting, even though he used the process in this year’s Florida primary.
On the other hand, with a vote count of 57%, Hilton continues to maintain its lead with approximately 27.2%. Mr. Becerra is second with about 26%, and Mr. Steyer is third with 20%, according to the Associated Press.
But while the gap between Hilton and Becerra has moved slightly, Steyer’s performance has remained stagnant. Hilton and her allies have criticized the lengthy voting process. But the former Fox News commentator hasn’t gone as far as the president in publicly claiming that Democrats are trying to steal the election.
“Right now, I don’t see any signs of that happening,” Hilton told conservative podcast host Benny Johnson in a June 3 interview.
Meanwhile, Becerra went on the offensive against Trump’s unproven claims, accusing him of how he has misled the public about past elections.
“Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. He lost California by millions of votes in the 2024 election. And now he’s trying to undermine confidence in our elections because he’s a perennial loser here,” the former Biden administration Health and Human Services secretary said in a June 4 post on X.
“Donald, I’m sorry. The voters decide who runs California, not you,” Becerra added, echoing his June 2 speech to supporters at a campaign event.
Steyer may gradually drop out of the top two.
While Hilton and Becerra have seen some gains, Steyer’s stock hasn’t moved. The billionaire’s campaign spent more than $200 million, accounting for 64% of all dollars spent in the primary, according to AdImpact.
Melissa Michelson, a tech-savvy political science professor at Silicon Valley’s Menlo College, still hasn’t seen a surge for Steyer, despite repeatedly updating the Secretary of State’s gubernatorial primary results page and similar online sites on June 4.
“I think Hilton and Becerra will continue to be at the top,” Michelson said. “Mr. Steyer will need overwhelming support in the remaining votes if he is to have a chance.
“However, we are not moving in Mr. Steyer’s direction at this time,” Michelson added. “We’re seeing very small changes, but the difference between the front runner and the stayer is about 6 percentage points, and that’s a big difference for the stayer to overcome.”
Brian Sobel, a veteran political analyst in the San Francisco Bay Area, said that may be insurmountable. Sobel estimates there are about 4 million uncounted ballots, similar to a figure Paul Mitchell, vice president of Sacramento-based nonpartisan voter data firm Political Data, told USA TODAY on June 3.
“If you look at these numbers in the last update, Mr. Steyer is about 400,000 votes behind Mr. Hilton and about 100,000 votes behind Mr. Becerra. It doesn’t look very good,” Sobel said. “And as other votes come in, Mr. Becerra and Mr. Steyer will probably split the Democratic vote, and Mr. Hilton will pick up more votes. The math doesn’t seem to favor Mr. Steyer.”
Heldman, a political scientist at Occidental College, agrees that the total number of voters expected to participate in the primary is 9 million, less than about 40% of California’s 23 million registered voters.
“I kind of know, and I feel like I know, that it’s likely going to end up being Hilton and Becerra,” Heldman said. “But that’s the great thing about this process: We’re not like that.”
