California’s Governor Race: Primary Night Results

With 50% of the expected vote counted and the race not officially called, here are the current results.

The Top Two

After months of polls, debates, and a race that turned upside down in its final weeks, the two candidates advancing to the November general election are:

1st Place: Steve Hilton — Republican — 27.8%

2nd Place: Xavier Becerra — Democrat — 25.4%

The Full Results

Candidate	Party	Votes	Percentage
Steve Hilton	R	1,386,966	27.8%
Xavier Becerra	D	1,267,070	25.4%
Tom Steyer	D	979,007	19.6%
Chad Bianco	R	566,679	11.3%
Katie Porter	D	231,488	4.6%
Matt Mahan	D	205,563	4.1%
Antonio Villaraigosa	D	66,509	1.3%

Results as of 4:44am on June 3rd. Approximately 50% of expected vote counted. Race not yet officially called. Mail ballots postmarked by June 2nd accepted through June 9th. Secretary of State certifies results by July 10th.

What the Results Mean — Hilton vs. Becerra

California’s June 2nd primary delivered exactly the traditional November matchup the polls suggested was most likely — but with a result that no one fully predicted: Republican Steve Hilton finishing in first place.

Heading into election night, every major poll had Becerra leading. Instead, Hilton ran nearly ten points above his final polling average — from 17% in the last Emerson poll to nearly 27% on election night. That is not a polling error. That is a Republican electorate that consolidated behind Hilton with remarkable discipline, combined with a Democratic vote that remained fractured across too many candidates for too long.

Becerra advances as the clear Democratic standard-bearer — but his path to November is complicated. He spent the primary running ahead of a split field. Now he faces a one-on-one contest against a Republican who has already proven he can outperform expectations.

The question California will spend the next five months answering is whether Hilton’s primary strength reflects genuine statewide appeal — or whether it simply reflects Republican consolidation in a low-turnout primary. California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. But California has also not faced the combination of a $30 billion Medi-Cal funding crisis, a housing shortage that has defeated every solution attempted, and a federal government actively challenging the state’s authority — all at the same time.

Hilton’s central argument — that Democratic one-party rule has failed California — now goes to a general election jury.

The Night’s Biggest Surprises

Hilton’s dramatic overperformance. No story from election night is bigger than this. Steve Hilton ran nearly ten points above his final polling average — from 17% in the last major poll to 26.7% on election night. Republican voters did not just prefer Hilton — they turned out for him with a unity and enthusiasm that caught every analyst off guard. For a candidate who had never held elected office and became an American citizen just five years ago, it was a remarkable performance.

Becerra’s resilience — and his ceiling. Becerra held steady throughout the night, never collapsing despite the fragmented Democratic field. But he also never surged. With roughly half the vote counted, he is running at 25.9% — below his polling average and below Hilton. The mail ballots still to be counted lean Democratic, which may close the gap — but Becerra’s inability to pull away on election night is a data point his November campaign will need to address.

Porter’s collapse. Katie Porter entered this race as a frontrunner. She ended election night at approximately 5% — less than half her final polling number. She was the best-known Democrat in the field, the only candidate refusing corporate PAC money, and the most aggressive campaigner on consumer protection. Voters chose experience over independence. Porter conceded Tuesday night.

Steyer’s stubborn persistence — and uncertain outcome. Tom Steyer spent $213 million of his own money and finished third with roughly 19.7%. His money kept him competitive but not dominant. He has not conceded, stating he will wait for every ballot to be counted. With remaining mail ballots leaning Democratic, the gap between him and Hilton is worth watching.

The undecided voters broke toward experience. The final Emerson poll showed 12% undecided. Those voters appear to have broken heavily toward Hilton and Becerra — the two candidates with the clearest and most consistent messages.

Who Did Not Make It — And Why

The candidates who will not advance to November are Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, Matt Mahan, and Antonio Villaraigosa. Here is what their results tell us:

Katie Porter: The most painful result of the night for progressive Democrats. Porter ran a disciplined, principled campaign — no corporate PAC money, strong consumer protection record, genuine grassroots support. But she never recovered from the 2024 Senate race loss, which planted a seed of doubt about her ability to win statewide. In her concession speech she told supporters “Running a race like this isn’t easy. And coming up short is hard. But democracy is worth doing hard things for.” Notably, she did not endorse Becerra — leaving her progressive voters without direction heading into November. That silence may prove significant.

Tom Steyer: $213 million bought him a third-place finish and a genuinely uncertain outcome. Steyer has not conceded, telling supporters he finished strong and would wait for every ballot to be counted. His campaign was built, in part, on a deliberate Democratic strategy: if enough Democrats voted Steyer rather than Becerra, two Democrats could potentially advance to November, locking Hilton out entirely. That strategy did not produce enough votes on election night. Whether the remaining mail ballots change that calculation remains to be seen. His past investments in private prisons and fossil fuels never stopped haunting him — but his progressive message clearly resonated with nearly 20% of California voters.

Chad Bianco: Bianco finished at 11.2% — slightly above his polling average but never a genuine threat. His anti-establishment message resonated with a core group of voters but his record as Riverside County Sheriff — including the worst crime-solving rate among California’s 57 sheriffs — ultimately undermined his tough-on-crime central argument. His voters will almost certainly consolidate behind Hilton in November.

Matt Mahan: San Jose’s mayor ran a credible campaign on competence and pragmatism but never broke through in a field dominated by bigger names and bigger money. His 4.1% reflects the ceiling for a lesser-known candidate without a defining issue or moment. His voters are likely to split between Becerra and staying home.

Antonio Villaraigosa: The former Los Angeles mayor finished at 1.3% — a stunning fall for someone who was once considered a serious gubernatorial contender. His late entry and limited campaign infrastructure simply couldn’t compete. His voters, concentrated in Southern California, will likely move to Becerra.

The Road to November

The general election is November 3rd, 2026. Here is what the next five months will look like.

The matchup: Steve Hilton vs. Xavier Becerra — pending official certification.

California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. That 20-year drought is the backdrop against which Hilton now makes his case. He enters the general election having dramatically outperformed his polls, with a consolidated Republican base, and with a message — that Democratic one-party rule has failed California — that resonates beyond party lines with frustrated independent voters.

Becerra enters with the full institutional weight of the California Democratic Party behind him, a commanding fundraising advantage, and a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two to one. He also enters having finished second on election night — a result his campaign will need to explain and overcome.

The issues that will define November:

Cost of living — gas and groceries. California consistently has among the highest gas prices in the nation, driven by state taxes, cap-and-trade policies, and refinery regulations. Grocery prices have risen sharply over the past two years, squeezing working and middle-class families on fixed incomes particularly hard. Hilton has proposed making the first $100,000 of income tax-free — a populist economic message that even Katie Porter said she borrowed. Becerra must answer what specific relief he will deliver to Californians who are paying more for everything and seeing less in return.

Healthcare. California’s Medi-Cal program faces a $30 billion funding crisis — the result of expanded enrollment, federal funding uncertainty, and rising costs. The next governor will inherit a system on the edge of collapse. Hilton has criticized Democratic healthcare spending as unsustainable. Becerra, as former HHS Secretary, brings federal healthcare experience to the table but must answer for a system that expanded dramatically under Democratic governance and is now financially precarious.

Housing. California has the largest homeless population in the nation and a housing shortage that has driven millions of residents out of state. Every solution attempted over the past decade under Democratic governors has fallen short. Hilton argues the regulatory and zoning environment created by Democratic policy is the root cause. Becerra must explain what he would do differently from Newsom — a question he has largely avoided so far.

Immigration. California’s sanctuary policies and its relationship with federal immigration enforcement will be front and center in a general election against a Trump-endorsed Republican. Hilton has been sharply critical of California’s approach. Becerra, as former Attorney General, spent years in court defending California’s immigration policies against the first Trump administration. This is arguably his strongest ground — but Hilton will make it a fight.

Environment and climate. California has long been the nation’s leader on environmental regulation — stricter emissions standards, aggressive climate goals, and environmental protections that go well beyond federal law. The Trump administration has systematically dismantled or challenged many of those protections, from rolling back clean air and water standards to withdrawing from climate agreements to challenging California’s authority to set its own vehicle emissions rules. The next governor will be on the front lines of that battle. Becerra, as former Attorney General, has a documented record of fighting federal environmental rollbacks in court. Hilton has acknowledged climate change but has criticized California’s regulatory approach as economically damaging, particularly to working class Californians who pay higher energy and gas prices as a result. The question for both candidates: how do you protect California’s environment without making life unaffordable for the people who live here?

The federal relationship. California is in an active confrontation with the Trump administration on multiple fronts — federal funding, immigration enforcement, environmental regulation, and more. The next governor will be either a combatant or a negotiator in that relationship. Becerra has spent his career fighting Washington. Hilton has spent his career arguing California needs to work with Washington rather than against it.

Key questions each candidate must answer before November:

For Hilton:

• Governing experience: How does a man who has never held elected office prepare to run the world’s fifth largest economy?
• Trump alignment: How closely does Hilton tie himself to a president whose approval ratings in California are deeply negative — and can he win independents without distancing himself?
• Specifics: His tax proposals are popular but how does he pay for them without devastating state services?

For Becerra:

• The Democratic record: After years of one-party Democratic rule, California still has the nation’s highest poverty rate, worst housing crisis, and largest homeless population. What does he say to voters who have been waiting for Democratic governance to deliver?
• Chevron donations: His acceptance of money from Chevron remains a liability with the progressive voters he needs in November. How does he reconcile that with his record as a fighter for ordinary Californians?
• Consolidation: Can he unite Porter’s supporters, Steyer’s progressives, and the broader Democratic coalition quickly enough to build a November majority?

UnsilencedTruth.com will continue covering this race through November — platforms compared head to head, the money behind the campaigns, the debates, and what the candidates actually say vs. what they mean.

Our UnsilencedTruth Take

California’s June 2nd primary delivered a result that no one fully predicted and every one should pay attention to.

Steve Hilton finishing in first place is not a fluke. It is a signal. When a Republican who has never held office, became an American citizen five years ago, and was polling at 17% in the final survey, runs nearly ten points above that number on election night — something real is happening. California voters are not uniformly satisfied with the direction of their state. They are frustrated, stretched thin, and looking for something different. Hilton gave them a permission slip to say so.

That does not mean Hilton will be California’s next governor. The math is daunting. Democratic registration dominates. The general election electorate is larger, more diverse, and more Democratic than the primary electorate. History is not on his side.

But here is what we will be watching: whether or not Becerra can make an affirmative case for Democratic governance that goes beyond “I am not the Republican.” California’s challenges — the Medi-Cal funding crisis, the housing shortage, the cost of living, the homeless crisis — did not appear overnight. They developed over years of Democratic governance. Becerra must answer for that record honestly, or Hilton’s message will find more fertile ground than the registration numbers suggest it should.

And there is the environment. The Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of environmental protections is not an abstract policy debate for California — it is an existential threat to the air Californians breathe, the water they drink, and the climate commitments the state has spent decades building. Whoever wins in November will inherit a battle with Washington over California’s environmental authority that will define the state’s future for generations. Voters deserve to know exactly where each candidate stands — not in talking points, but in specifics.

The voters who chose Porter, Steyer, Mahan, and Villaraigosa — nearly 30% of the electorate combined — are not automatically Becerra’s. Porter didn’t endorse him. Steyer hasn’t conceded. Those voters are persuadable in ways that the Democratic establishment may be underestimating.

What California deserves from this general election is a genuine debate about the state’s future — not a referendum on Donald Trump, not a fundraising arms race, and not a campaign built on fear of the other side. The issues are too serious and the stakes are too high for that.

The primary is over. The real race begins now. UnsilencedTruth will be watching every step of the way — and giving it to you straight.

Results sourced from the California Secretary of State’s office. All vote totals are unofficial until certified.