People watch results at an election night event for California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra in Los Angeles on June 2, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
Republican television commentator Steve Hilton and Democratic former Cabinet Secretary Xavier Becerra took the early lead in the open primary race for California governor on Tuesday (June 2, 2026).They each had about 26% of the vote with 42% of election night precincts partially reporting about an hour after polls closed, according to official results.Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer trailed them by about 6 points.Under California’s “jungle primary” system, the two highest vote-getters will advance to the November 3 general election regardless of party.Mr. Becerra is a former State Attorney General and U.S. congressman from Los Angeles who was secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. If he were to prevail in November, he would become the first Latino elected governor in a state where 40% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.
California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during an election night event in Huntington Beach, California, on June 2, 2026.
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