Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has taken the lead in the race for California governor and will advance to the runoff in the fall, the Associated Press has called.
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Just who will join him, though, remains uncertain.
Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton was in second place Friday evening, as of the latest, unofficial vote tallies, with progressive billionaire Tom Steyer in third.
As of Friday afternoon, the latest vote tally showed Becerra, a Democrat, at 26.7% and Hilton just behind at 26.4%. Meanwhile, Steyer wasn’t too far back at 21%.
Becerra, a former congressman and state attorney general, did not gain traction in the open race for California governor until fairly late in the game. He pitched himself to voters by highlighting his political resume and pointing to the many lawsuits he led on behalf of California, challenging President Donald Trump and his policies during the president’s first administration.
“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said in a statement Friday. “We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down. November, here we come.”
Becerra, 68, also leaned into his healthcare background on the campaign trail, making stops at various community health centers.
His experience as the health secretary was a point of contention during the campaign, though, particularly during the marathon of debates the main gubernatorial candidates participated in just before ballots were mailed out to registered voters in California.
His rivals scrutinized his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and the unaccompanied migrant children crisis in 2021, when Becerra’s Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for shelters where they were housed. Some of them were criticized as having inadequate living conditions, and there were also concerns about authorities failing to thoroughly vet sponsors with whom some children were placed.
Steyer, 68, poured more than $200 million into his campaign — and branded himself as “the billionaire who wants to tax billionaires.” He campaigned on closing corporate tax loopholes and said in an election night speech that corporate interests came after him, but he refused to back down.
Hilton, who was endorsed by Trump, billed himself throughout the campaign as a needed change for California, constantly railing against the Democratic leadership that has led the state for several years.
Hilton got his start in politics in the United Kingdom. Born in England to immigrant parents from Hungary — his father had found success as a professional hockey goalie before the couple fled during the 1956 revolution — Hilton started working with the Conservative Central Office in 1990.
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He would eventually become a close adviser to David Cameron and was credited with softening the prime minister’s appearance. The two have since fallen out, disagreeing over Brexit (the term referring to the U.K. leaving the European Union) and other policy positions.
Hilton, 56, had been leading in the race for governor until Friday, when he was passed by Becerra.
Still, his campaign expressed optimism Friday evening.
“We’re very encouraged by where things stand, and all signs point to Steve Hilton being in the general election,” said Hector Barajas, a spokesperson for the Hilton campaign.
“California’s vote-counting system may take over a month to produce final results, but we don’t have the luxury of sitting around waiting for Sacramento bureaucrats to finish counting ballots,” Barajas said. “Steve is already focused on November, traveling the state, meeting with voters and continuing to build a coalition of Californians who want change after 16 years of one-party rule.”
Hilton was in San Francisco on Thursday and San Mateo on Friday for campaign events. He has another event scheduled in San Jose on Saturday.
“We’re in a strong position, and we’re going to keep talking to voters about how to make California affordable again while the counting continues,” said Barajas.
Steyer’s campaign declined to comment Friday evening, but he’s not out of the race quite yet.
Mailed ballots are still being counted — so long as they were postmarked by June 2 and arrive within a week of Election Day, they’ll be counted — and those tend to be more Democratic leaning, especially this year when the race for governor was so unsettled.
Earlier this week, Steyer’s campaign manager, Heather Hargreaves, said they were “going to give democracy time to work.”
The secretary of state estimated on Friday that there were still more than 3 million ballots across the state left to be processed.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.