Sacramento, June 14, 2026, 08:03 PDT.
- Democrat Xavier Becerra leads with 2,566,414 votes, or 28.1%, in unofficial state results updated June 12. Republican Steve Hilton sits in second, taking 2,259,445 votes, or 24.7%.
- Becerra leads Hilton 52% to 31% among registered California voters, a UC Berkeley IGS/Los Angeles Times poll found.
- Mark Arax, in a new essay for the Guardian, puts California’s governor race in the middle of the state’s arguments over water, AI, agriculture, and growth costs.
California’s governor race is down to Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton after a week of slow counting. Unofficial returns from the secretary of state show Becerra at 28.1%, Hilton at 24.7%, and Democrat Tom Steyer trailing at 22.8%. Results are set to be certified by July 10.
Becerra starts the general-election race with a big lead in the polls. The UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, along with the Los Angeles Times, polled him at 52% against Hilton’s 31% among registered voters, with the rest undecided. The online survey ran in English and Spanish from May 19 to 24, covering 8,578 California voters. IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo called it a “traditional, partisan-based general election,” adding Democrats’ registration numbers hand Becerra “a huge advantage.” Los Angeles Times
Hilton is running on voter anger over affordability, housing and Democratic rule in Sacramento. The Associated Press called him a former Fox News commentator with support from Donald Trump. California Republicans are about 25% of registered voters, compared to 45% who are Democrats, AP said. Hilton says it’s the status quo or change. He put it simply: “If you want change, vote for me.” AP News
Becerra is touting his background as former California attorney general, Biden’s health secretary, and longtime Los Angeles congressman. The AP said he played a major role in California’s legal fights against Trump in his first term, filing at least 120 legal actions against Washington. On primary night, Becerra told his supporters, “I will never back down,” and positioned the race as a fight for California’s direction. AP News
Trump’s backing gave Hilton a boost in the primary, as covered at the Hilton event, but his support could be a tougher sell in November. According to the Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times poll, 37% of Republicans said Trump’s endorsement made them more likely to back Hilton, but Trump drew 69% disapproval from California voters. CalMatters, in April, flagged that Trump’s endorsement might lock in conservative support for Hilton but make it tougher for the GOP to get two candidates through California’s top-two primary. Los Angeles Times
California’s political battle is playing out as the state argues what kind of economy the next governor will get. Arax, writing in The Guardian, looks at the state from Gold Rush days to today’s fights over water, agriculture, and artificial intelligence, calling this a new era of “the mining of water and the mining of our minds.” The essay highlights both San Joaquin Valley groundwater issues and Silicon Valley’s demands for water and electricity, saying those problems drive the debate over affordability and growth in the race. The Guardian
California’s drawn-out vote count is itself a campaign issue this cycle. The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that the state’s push to expand voter access and tighten security is slowing the tally, which stands out in tight races like governor and Los Angeles mayor. “Voter confidence is eroding,” said Kim Alexander, who heads the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, in the story. The same report found no fraud in the last primary vote count, even as false claims spread after polls closed. Los Angeles Times
