Republican Steve Hilton will advance to November election in California governor’s race, CNN projects
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during his campaign watch party in Huntington Beach
(CNN) — Republican Steve Hilton will advance to the November election in California’s gubernatorial race, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
Hilton, a former Fox News host who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, will face former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat.
Hilton and Becerra were among a crowded field of contenders in Tuesday’s primary election who vied to succeed term-limited incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom. Billionaire Democratic candidate Tom Steyer, who spent more than $200 million on his gubernatorial campaign, will finish in third place, and he conceded in a statement after the race was projected.
Concern had grown among Democrats that their scattered field of candidates could split the vote enough for Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, another Republican in the primary, to be the top two vote-getters in the contest. But Trump’s endorsement of Hilton in April helped consolidate GOP support.
Hilton responded to similar comments in an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett this week, saying, “I think that actually this year could be different.” He claimed Californians are frustrated with high taxes and that a majority of them believe the state is going in the wrong direction.
After working in British politics, Hilton moved to California in 2012. He focused his campaign on affordability issues, blaming Democratic leadership in California for high costs and vowing to reduce bureaucracy in the state. He has argued California voters are ready for a change after 16 years of unified Democratic party control.
Hilton now faces a steep uphill climb in November’s election. There are roughly 4.6 million more registered Democrats than there are Republicans in California, according to the state’s most recent voter registration statistics. California hasn’t elected a Republican governor in 20 years, when voters gave Arnold Schwarzenegger a second term.
Meanwhile, Becerra, who previously served as a Los Angeles-area US congressman and California attorney general, ran on his years of experience in various governmental roles and argued that only someone who had managed crises could fix California’s problems.
However, he weathered attacks on his record, particularly his handling of the child migrant crisis and the mpox outbreak during former President Joe Biden’s administration. He also faced criticism over his former chief of staff pleading guilty to a fraud charge related to a scheme to siphon money from a Becerra campaign account. Becerra has not been accused of any wrongdoing by law enforcement.
The race faced a major shakeup in April when then-Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out and resigned from Congress following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, which he has strongly denied. Swalwell was seen as the front-runner, but the vacuum left by his exit was quickly filled by Becerra.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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