Xavier Becerra Advances to General Election in California Gubernatorial Race
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will advance to the November general election in the California gubernatorial race, according to a projection from the Associated Press.
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Becerra will finish as the top vote-getter among a crowded field of 61 candidates. It was not immediately clear Friday evening whom he would be facing in November.
Vote-counting in California is a slow process, in part because the state allows vote-by-mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive over the course of several days after the election.
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton and progressive billionaire Tom Steyer are in a competition for second place, with the race still too early to call.
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California holds a nonpartisan “jungle” primary, in which the top two candidates advance to the general election, regardless of party.
If Hilton advances, Becerra will hold a significant edge heading into Election Day in his bid to become the governor of the overwhelmingly blue state of California. The last Republican to win a gubernatorial race in the Golden State was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served from 2003 to 2011.
Outgoing term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom took office in 2019.
The race to replace Newsom was shaken up in April when front-runner Eric Swalwell suspended his own gubernatorial bid following several sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell’s exit boosted Becerra, the other leading establishment Democrat in the race.
