Xavier Becerra Advances to Runoff in California Gubernatorial Race

<p>Xavier Becerra, a Democrat and former Health and Human Services Secretary, has advanced to the runoff in the California gubernatorial race for the November general election, as projected by several media outlets on June 5, 2026.</p><p>Becerra's opponent has not yet been determined, but Republican Steve Hilton is currently trailing Becerra by a narrow margin. As of Friday evening, with 66% of the votes counted, Becerra leads with 26.7% of the vote, while Hilton has 26.4%. Both candidates are ahead of billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, who has 21%.</p><p>Previously, on Thursday evening, with 58% of the vote reported, Hilton was leading Becerra by more than a point, with Hilton at 27.2% and Becerra at 25.9%, while Steyer was at 20.1%.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JUST IN:<br />Democrat Xavier Becerra officially advances to November's election for California Governor.</p><p>Still waiting on more results to determine who his opponent will be officially. <a href="https://t.co/gl7k08SGJp">pic.twitter.com/gl7k08SGJp</a></p><p>— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) <a href="https://x.com/ZavalaA/status/2063047654813364466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p>Becerra stated on social media, "More than ever, California needs our voices and our values. To all the people and the voters of California, this is your state." He added, "We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down."</p><p>Former President Donald Trump has commented on the vote counting process in California, suggesting election fraud by Democrats. He stated on Truth Social, "Look what's happening in California, the Dumocrats, right before our very eyes, are stealing the vote." In another post, he claimed, "There's BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up. May not be in for weeks. Under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. Why the vote counting DELAY?"</p><p>Becerra responded to Trump's accusations, asserting that the former president is attempting to undermine confidence in the electoral process. He stated, "Sorry Donald, the voters decide who leads California. Not you."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. He lost California by millions of votes in the 2024 election, and now he's trying to undermine confidence in our elections because he’s a repeat loser here.<br />Sorry Donald, the voters decide who leads California. Not you. <a href="https://t.co/juhpYvJ0LP">pic.twitter.com/juhpYvJ0LP</a></p><p>— Xavier Becerra (@XavierBecerra) <a href="https://x.com/XavierBecerra/status/2062615628268417265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p>Becerra has served 12 terms in Congress and is a former California attorney general. He is viewed as a moderate Democrat compared to Steyer. His rise in the polls followed the withdrawal of former Rep. Eric Swalwell from the race amid sexual assault allegations.</p><p>California's vote counting process can be lengthy due to the state's vote-by-mail system, which includes signature verification and procedures for resolving ballot errors. The final tally of California's races may take up to three weeks. Unlike many states, California allows mail ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day if they are postmarked on time, and those ballots have an additional seven days to reach processing centers. Counties must verify signatures, count provisional ballots, and allow voters to correct certain ballot defects before results are certified.</p>