The California governor’s primary race remains unsettled with vote counting ongoing and results expected to take days or weeks to finalize as counties continue processing ballots [1, 2, 3, 4]. British-born conservative pundit Steve Hilton leads in early returns with about 28% of the vote, followed closely by former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at around 25%. Billionaire Tom Steyer trails in third place with approximately 20% of the vote share [1, 2, 3, 4].
California’s top-two primary system means only the two highest vote-getters will advance to the general election in November [1, 2, 3, 4]. As of June 5, about 60% of ballots had been counted, but the race remains too close to call [3, 4]. Many Democratic voters waited until election day on June 2 to submit mail-in ballots, causing delays and uncertainty in early returns [1, 2, 3]. UCLA law professor Richard Hasen noted, "What compounds things this time around is that Democrats have been holding on to their ballots" [3].
The state’s deadline for counties to finish counting ballots is June 15; however, mail-in ballots postmarked by election day and received by June 9 can still be counted afterward [1, 2, 3, 4]. That extended timeline adds to the uncertainty over the final results.
Donald Trump declared victory for Hilton early and accused California officials of election rigging. He said, "Congratulations to Steve Hilton on coming in first, last night, in the California Vote for Governor" and added, "We don’t want cheating in our elections. You see it in California. Those numbers are coming down rapidly. They found a lot of mail-in ballots last night, shockingly. We don’t want that" [1, 3].
Xavier Becerra responded cautiously, stating, "It is the people – only the people – who get the last word. While I take nothing for granted, there are lots of ballots left to be counted, it appears that we are on track to advance to November" [1]. Steyer’s campaign manager Heather Hargreaves said, "There’s still a lot that remains to be seen and we’re going to give democracy time to work" [1].
In the closely watched Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass is confirmed for the runoff, with Spencer Pratt narrowly ahead of Nithya Raman for the second spot. Pratt said he aims to represent all Angelenos, claiming, "I’ll be able to show that in five months. I’m an Angeleno who said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and I had to step up. I’m going to show everybody that I’m their mayor" [3, 4].
Vote counting is slow statewide due to the heavy reliance on mail-in ballots and comprehensive review processes [4]. California counties must complete ballot counts by June 15, except for late-arriving mail-in ballots postmarked by election day that can still be tallied up to that date [1, 2, 3, 4]. Authorities and campaigns await the final tally to confirm who will secure the top two spots in the governor’s race.
