California’s jungle primary is over. Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and Biden’s HHS secretary, took 26.7% of the vote. Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and Trump ally, took 28%. They advance to the November general election.
Tom Steyer, who spent $216 million of his own money, finished third at 20%. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, took 11%. Sixty-one candidates ran. Two survived.
How Becerra got here
Becerra was a distant underdog until April, when then-frontrunner Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out amid sexual misconduct allegations. That opened the lane. Democrats who had been split across five credible candidates consolidated behind the candidate with 35 years in public office.
Becerra served 24 years in Congress, 6 years as California’s attorney general, and 3 years as Biden’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. He ran on the argument that the next governor needs to fight the federal government on day one, and he already knows how.
Who is Steve Hilton?
Hilton was born in Hungary and raised in the United Kingdom. He served as strategy director for British Prime Minister David Cameron before moving to California and becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021. He hosted The Next Revolution on Fox News from 2017 to 2023. Trump endorsed him in April 2026.
His platform: climate regulations are why housing costs too much. Wildfires are “a complete failure of Democrat policies,” not climate change. He supports Trump’s border enforcement approach and wants to roll back the state’s sanctuary policies.
What the governor controls
The next governor inherits:
- $30 billion in annual Medi-Cal cuts from the federal reconciliation bill. 3.4 million Californians are projected to lose coverage. The governor decides whether to fight with state funds or let the cuts stand.
- 54 active lawsuits against the Trump administration, preserving $168 billion in federal funding. The governor picks the next attorney general if Bonta leaves or is replaced.
- The most aggressive climate policy in the country. California’s emissions standards, EV mandates, and cap-and-trade system set the baseline for 17 other states that follow California’s rules. The governor can sustain or dismantle them.
- Sanctuary protections for 2.2 million undocumented residents. ICE arrests surged 1,500% in San Diego County. The governor controls whether state agencies cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
A Republican governor who opposes climate regulation, supports Trump’s immigration enforcement, and calls wildfire policy a Democratic failure would reverse a decade of California policy in one term.
Update, June 7, 2026: California’s primary results confirmed the advancement of Becerra and Hilton to the November general election, closing the first major contest in the 2026 governor’s race. NPR’s Tamara Keith and Ayesha Rascoe covered the outcome on Weekend Edition Sunday, June 7, placing California’s results alongside Maine’s upcoming primary as markers of where the 2026 campaign cycle now stands.
In Maine, candidate Platner is set to face voters in a primary NPR is tracking in parallel with the California race. That contest has drawn national attention as a second data point on voter priorities heading into the general election season.
The California matchup between Becerra and Hilton now moves into a general election phase where the policy contrasts outlined in this brief will face direct voter scrutiny. Both candidates are expected to sharpen their positions on healthcare and housing as the November date approaches.