Republican Steve Hilton will advance to the November election and face off against Democrat Xavier Becerra, the AP projected on Tuesday.
Votes are still being counted, but the AP determined that Hilton had amassed a lead that the third place finisher, Democrat Tom Steyer, cannot make up in the final tally.
Steyer conceded in a lengthy X post, writing that it’s “now clear that we do not have the votes necessary to advance to the general election in November.”
Hilton has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, something that will be a hurdle in a heavily blue state, where the last Republican was elected to statewide office 20 years ago. But he has capitalized on voter discontent in the state, and has criticized California protracted vote count and has called mail-in ballot rules an “absolute disaster.”
Despite the criticism, Hilton has not embraced Trump’s claim of rampant voter fraud, telling CNN on Monday that “we’ve seen nothing to give us pause” to raise red flags about the count.
Hilton is a native of England who was a former aide to British Prime Minister David Cameron. He moved to the United States in 2012, having gained notoriety with his weekly Fox News commentary show from 2017 to 2023.
According to the latest results, Becerra had received 27.9% of the vote, followed by Hilton with 25% and Steyer with 22.6%. In California’s open primary, the top two finishers advance to the general election, regardless of party. Although Steyer has gained ground, the AP and major networks determined that Hilton had an insurmountable lead over him.
Steyer spent more than $200 million on the race, a record for a gubernatorial candidate. But he is only the latest self-funded candidate to come up short in the Golden State, a list that includes Meg Whitman, Al Checchi and Carly Fiorina. Steyer also waged an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, dropping out after the South Carolina primary.
Steyer wrote, “For now, we must stay focused. Donald Trump is the embodiment of the corporations’ craven, soulless, profit-first model of politics, and it is absolutely essential that his handpicked candidate does not hold the keys to California. It would be a travesty for Steve Hilton to win the governorship, and Californians must unite behind Xavier Becerra to ensure he does not.”
More to come.
