Democrat Xavier Becerra has earned a spot in the November general election for California governor, completing a late surge in a crowded primary and positioning the longtime public official as a leading contender to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Becerra, a former California attorney general and former U.S. health secretary, had nearly 27% of the vote in the June 2 primary as of Friday afternoon, with roughly two-thirds of ballots counted. His campaign described the result as historic, noting that if elected in November, Becerra would become California’s first Latino governor in more than 100 years and the first Latino elected to the office.
His November opponent has not yet been determined. Republican Steve Hilton was close behind with more than 26% of the vote and appeared most likely to claim the second runoff spot. But Democrat Tom Steyer had not conceded, and nearly 3 million ballots remained uncounted. Because many Democratic voters returned ballots late, the remaining vote could lean more heavily toward Democratic candidates.
California’s primary system sends the top two vote-getters to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
The makeup of the November race could dramatically change the campaign. If Hilton advances, Becerra would enter the fall contest with a major partisan advantage in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two-to-one. Hilton also carries the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who remains deeply unpopular among many California voters.
If Steyer overtakes Hilton, the general election would become a Democrat-versus-Democrat fight between two very different factions of the party. Steyer, a former hedge fund manager, major Democratic donor and climate activist, has campaigned as a progressive and spent heavily from his own fortune during the primary. He drew support from allies of Bernie Sanders, while Becerra attracted more backing from the Democratic establishment, as well as important support and funding from labor and industry groups.
Becerra’s rise came after he had spent much of the campaign polling in single digits. His standing improved after the collapse of former frontrunner Eric Swalwell’s campaign, as many establishment Democrats moved toward Becerra over former Rep. Katie Porter and Steyer.
The shift marked a rapid turnaround for Becerra, who had earlier been among several lower-polling Democrats facing public pressure from state party chair Rusty Hicks to leave the race.
“Guess what? The underdog stayed in the fight,” Becerra told supporters Tuesday night at an election night rally in Los Angeles, calling his strong showing “the everyday miracle of living in a state that regularly makes the improbable seem inevitable.”
The next governor will inherit a state facing major challenges, many of them felt sharply across Southern California and the Inland Empire. California residents continue to struggle with high housing and utility costs, elevated gas prices worsened by the war in Iran, wildfire danger that has disrupted the insurance market, a fragile state budget, expected federal cuts to the state’s health care system and an economy affected by immigration enforcement.
So far, Becerra has not outlined a sweeping break from Newsom’s policies. To address affordability, he has said he would declare a state of emergency to freeze utility and home insurance rates while examining why costs are rising. He also has said he would enforce existing housing laws to make sure local governments plan for new construction. Like other California Democrats, Becerra has indicated he is open to slowing parts of the state’s clean-energy transition and greenhouse gas reduction mandates if needed to keep fuel prices down.
Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, grew up in Sacramento and began his political career in the 1990s. As a young attorney, he won a Los Angeles-area seat in the state Legislature and was elected to Congress two years later. He served in the House for 24 years before Newsom appointed him California attorney general in 2017 during Trump’s first administration. He later joined President Joe Biden’s Cabinet as secretary of Health and Human Services.
During the primary, Becerra faced criticism over his time in the Biden administration. Some Democrats revived complaints about his leadership during the pandemic. Opponents also criticized his agency’s screening of homes for migrant children, some of whom were later found working in dangerous or exploitative jobs.
Steyer also attacked Becerra over a late surge of campaign support from corporations and special interests.
Hilton has tried to frame Becerra as a continuation of the Newsom era, tapping into Republican frustration over California’s cost of living and business regulations. Becerra has not offered major departures from Newsom’s agenda and said during one debate that he would give Newsom an “A for effort” on homelessness, even as homelessness has increased significantly during Newsom’s two terms.
Becerra has countered those attacks by emphasizing his decades in public office and his record of suing the Trump administration while serving as California attorney general.
“You can have all these great inflated promises,” Becerra said this week, referring to critics such as Steyer. “But delivery is more important.”
Original source: CalMatters
