Steve Hilton Advances to Face Xavier Becerra in California Governor’s November 2026 Race

California runoff set

Republican Steve Hilton will face Democrat Xavier Becerra in the November California governor’s race after the state’s jungle primary advanced the top two vote-getters, with Hilton set to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The Associated Press determined Tuesday that Hilton had won enough votes to advance to the general election, and the matchup will be between Hilton and Becerra, a former state attorney general and health secretary under President Joe Biden.

The New Yorker described the primary as a “jungle” system in which candidates run against one another in a single election, with the top two moving on if no one receives more than fifty per cent of the vote.

The New Yorker also tied Hilton’s political profile to President Donald Trump, noting that Trump often posted clips of Hilton calling for an investigation into claims of fraud in the 2020 Presidential election.

Lookout Santa Cruz reported that the general election will be held in November 2026, with both candidates competing to succeed Newsom.

Reporting for this sectionLookout Santa CruzThe New Yorker

Endorsements and vote math

Trump’s endorsement of Hilton in April helped consolidate GOP support, and MS NOW reported that Trump alleged “Dumocrats” were “trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY” while pointing to “MAIL IN BALLOTS.” Hilton’s campaign framed the contest as a choice between change and the Democratic record, and CNN quoted him saying, “I think that actually this year could be different.” Becerra, meanwhile, cast the race as a fight against Trump’s approach to California and told a crowd on primary night, “Donald Trump is doubling down on decline and counting on people being too fearful, distracted or gullible to fight back.”

The Guardian reported that as California’s slow vote count hit the one-week mark on Tuesday, Hilton had 25% of the vote, 2.9 points behind Becerra and 2.4 points ahead of Steyer. In the vote-counting process, Lookout Santa Cruz said ballots are mailed to every eligible voter and are counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and arrive at an election office within seven days.

Reporting for this sectionMS NOWLookout Santa Cruz

What’s at stake

The November matchup is set against a backdrop of California’s partisan imbalance, with CNN saying there are roughly 4.6 million more registered Democrats than there are Republicans in California.

Hilton’s platform emphasized affordability and tax relief, and ABC30 Fresno reported that he pledged to make Californians’ first $100,000 free of income tax, create a loan program for first-time homebuyers, and freeze in-state tuition at public colleges.

Becerra’s counterpitch centered on experience and crisis management, and CNN said he argued that only someone who had managed crises could fix California’s problems.

The Intercept described the runoff as a contest between a Democratic establishment figure and a Republican former Fox News host, and it said Becerra previously served as California attorney general under Govs. Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom.

If Hilton wins, The Intercept said he would become California’s first Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger, the architect of the state’s open primary system.

Reporting for this sectionCNNThe Intercept