It’s beyond debate. California voters deserve a Becerra-Hilton face-off

August 24, 2026 By Mark Z. Barabak 1 Comment
  • The Democratic front-runner has pledged he’ll share a stage with his Republican foe, but hasn’t said where or when.
  • Hilton, in typical underdog fashion, is eager to meet anytime, anyplace.

Barring some extraordinary event — a health emergency, a career-ending scandal, a killer asteroid destroying all life on earth — Xavier Becerra will be the next governor of California.

That’s not partiality or wish casting on the part of your friendly political columnist. The fact is Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents overwhelmingly outnumber Republicans in California, in both registration and inclination.

The GOP brand has been political poison in this Tahoe-blue bastion for decades now. But under Donald Trump, it’s grown even more toxic. His endorsement, which the president bestowed upon Republican Steve Hilton mid-primary, is the political equivalent of sarin; like the deadly nerve agent, it can kill on contact.

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Still, give credit where due.

The gregarious and media-savvy Hilton has been waging an energetic and effervescent run for governor, with multiple appearances a day and frequent updates to his cheeky social media accounts.

“He’s going to San Francisco” — into the bowels of the liberal beast — “he’s going into schools, talking to labor groups,” said Hector Barajas, a campaign spokesman. “He’ll go everywhere.”

Becerra not so much.

The Democrat has appeared here and there since finishing first in the June 2 primary, securing one of two slots in November’s runoff. He’s offered a few modest proposals, including a plan to deliver two free hours of electricity a day to low-income households and a call for stiffer regulation of artificial intelligence.

A sprint vs. a stroll

That said, if Hilton is flat-out running for a job he stands virtually no chance of winning, Becerra is embarked on more of a leisurely stroll toward his all-but-certain perch in Sacramento.

That’s not a terrible thing at this midsummer stage of the race. Once, in the blessed era before the 24/7 news cycle and the omnipresence of social media, there was a lull in the months after the primary, with campaign activities picking back up around Labor Day.

On Tuesday, during a walking tour of Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood, Becerra pushed back on the notion he was taking his election — and California voters — for granted. “If I were trying to coast,” he told reporters, “I’d be out on the coast right now instead of here with you all.”

Becerra’s pace aside, the days between now and the Nov. 3 election offer him plenty of time to spell out what, exactly, he has to offer his home state and how, in a broad sense, he plans to tackle one of the highest profile, most vexing jobs in all of American politics.

At least one of those days should include a face-to-face debate between Hilton and Becerra. The two shared a stage multiple times during the primary season. They have not appeared together since.

Click here to read the full article in the LA Times

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Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to November race for California governor

June 7, 2026 By Jeanne Kuang 7 Comments

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Democrat Xavier Becerra will advance to the November general election in the race for California governor, capping a sudden and dramatic ascent for a career politician who is running on his experience and his willingness to take on President Donald Trump.

Becerra, the former state attorney general, has secured nearly 27% of the vote in the June 2 primary, with about two-thirds of votes counted by the time The Associated Press made the call on Friday afternoon. If elected in November, he would be the first Latino to serve as California governor in more than a century and the first to win the seat via election, which his campaign called “a breakthrough.”

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It’s still unclear who his opponent will be: Returns so far show Republican Steve Hilton likely to advance with more than 26% of the votes, though the trailing Democrat Tom Steyer is at 21% and could make up ground in the more than 3 million votes that remain to be counted. Many Democratic voters held onto their ballots until the last minute, meaning the uncounted votes skew more Democratic.

California uses a top-two primary system; the two candidates with the most votes advance to the November ballot regardless of party. 

The November race could differ dramatically depending on the opponent. If it’s Hilton, Becerra would be heavily favored to win: Democrats in California outnumber Republicans nearly two-to-one, and Hilton is endorsed by Trump, whom Californians disapprove of in high numbers. 

If it’s Steyer, California can expect an all-out slugfest between opposing wings of the Democratic Party, supercharged by the hundreds of millions of dollars Steyer has spent from his personal fortune on the primary alone. 

While the hedge fund manager-turned-Democratic donor and climate activist has run a progressive campaign and garnered the support of Bernie Sanders surrogates, Becerra is favored by more of the Democratic establishment. He also received consequential endorsements — and funding — from labor and industry groups.

Becerra, who had lingered in the single-digits in polling, surged in popularity following the political implosion of former frontrunner Eric Swalwell, with establishment Democrats favoring the former Health and Human Services secretary and former state attorney general over former Rep. Katie Porter and the outsider Steyer. 

It was a surprising and swift ascent for the mild-mannered career politician who was previously part of a crop of lower-polling Democratic candidates that party chair Rusty Hicks was publicly pressuring to drop out of the race. 

“Guess what? The underdog stayed in the fight,” Becerra said at an election night rally Tuesday in Los Angeles, calling his near-victory “the everyday miracle of living in a state that regularly makes the improbable seem inevitable.”

The decision comes at a particularly consequential time for California. Residents face a crushing cost of living, nation-topping gas prices made worse by the war in Iran, wildfire risks that have driven insurance companies out of state, an unstable state budget, impending federal cuts to the state’s expansive health system and an economy dampened by immigration enforcement.

Becerra so far has not proposed major policy departures from Newsom’s two terms in office. 

Click here to read the full article in CalMatters

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Record-setting outside money pouring into California governor’s race

May 27, 2026 By Seema Mehta 2 Comments
  • Outside groups have poured $79.6 million into the California governor’s race ahead of the June 2 primary, shattering past spending records.
  • Billionaire Tom Steyer is the prime target, facing $32.3 million in attacks in the face of the $212 million he has donated to his campaign. Former Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra has seen growing outside support.
  • Independent expenditure committees, supercharged after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, let big donors donate unlimited amounts of money to efforts to shape messaging and negative ads while skirting direct coordination limits with campaigns.

Corporations, labor unions, tech titans, Native American tribes and other special interests have donated a record-shattering $79.6 million to independent committees focused on swaying the volatile California governor’s race ahead of the June 2 primary.

Many of the largest backers to these committees will have significant business interests in front of the state’s next governor and state agencies, with hopes of either strengthening a candidate aligned with their political priorities or undercutting those who oppose them.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen IEs [or independent expenditures] have this kind of an impact on a governor’s race,” said veteran GOP strategist Martin Wilson, who has worked on every California gubernatorial contest since 1978 and worked on an outside effort backing San José Mayor Matt Mahan’s 2026 bid for governor. “It’s totally unprecedented.”

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Election laws bar independent expenditure committees from communicating or coordinating with campaigns, allowing candidates to emphasize that they have no control over the money that pours into these outside groups. The wall between the two has long been viewed as performative and penetrable.

The greatest amount of outside spending has been directed at attacking billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental warrior Tom Steyer, a leading Democrat in the race.

Nearly $32.3 million had been donated to opposing his candidacy as of Monday, according to the California Target Book, a nonpartisan political almanac, which tracks independent expenditure committees. Among the major donors are utility giant PG&E, a political action committee sponsored by the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Assn. of Realtors’ independent expenditure committee, which combined have utility, business, property tax and building issues affected by lawmakers and regulators in the state capital.

Independent expenditures supporting Steyer’s bid for governor have been minimal compared with the record-breaking $212 million Steyer has donated to his own campaign as of Monday, according to the California secretary of state’s office. Still, more than $1.4 million of outside money has been spent supporting his bid, largely by the California Nurses Assn., which shares his goal of creating single-payer healthcare.

Expenditure committees linked to Uber, the California Medical Assn., the kidney dialysis company DaVita and the California Dental Assn. contributed nearly $7.3 million to independent efforts backing former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) before he dropped out of the gubernatorial race in April because of sexual assault and misconduct allegations.

Click here to read the full article in the LA Times

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Many Dems are stuck: Becerra, Steyer or someone else? Here’s what to know

May 25, 2026 By Joe Garofoli 2 Comments

Across California, blank ballots are sitting on kitchen tables, staring back at Democratic voters undecided about whom to back for governor. Many voters remain stumped, days before the June 2 primary. 

The dilemma for Democrats debating between their party’s two top-polling candidates, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who has spent much of career holding elected office, or former San Francisco hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, a billionaire who has never held elected office: “Do I vote for the career politician with the record that’s being criticized or the billionaire who made his fortune in part by investing in nefarious things and has no experience in public office whatsoever?” 

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Meanwhile, others not enamored by either candidate might fear throwing away their vote by backing one of the lower-polling Democrats. If I vote with my heart for a lower-polling candidate, the thinking goes, will that risk sending one or two Republicans to the general election?

The lack of a consensus around a candidate in this crazier-than-usual campaign reflects why many Democrats are still searching. Some are hesitant to commit after seeing former Rep. Eric Swalwell implode after the Chronicle’s bombshell investigation revealed allegations that he sexually assaulted a female staffer. That hesitancy — and the lack of compelling candidates — may explain why 13% of Democrats remain undecided.

The two Democrats closest to advancing to the general election, according to most polls, are Steyer and Becerra. 

Experience-wise, they couldn’t be more different. Voters seeking an experienced hand might gravitate toward Becerra’s many years in public office, in a variety of state and federal roles. Those seeking a nonpolitician’s perspective on California’s problems might be impressed with Steyer’s business and advocacy background. Both come with pitfalls: Becerra’s long résumé means there is plenty to criticize when it comes to the choices he’s made as a public official. Steyer’s non-résumé in public office means it’s hard to predict how he might approach problems that arise in government leadership roles.

Click here to read the full article in the SF Chronicle

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GOP governor hopefuls give closing arguments to Central Valley Republicans

May 24, 2026 By Nicole Nixon 1 Comment
  • Days before the primary, leading GOP governor contenders Steve Hilton and Sheriff Chad Bianco shared an unusually civil stage in Fresno, aiming their attacks at Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers.
  • With Hilton boosted by Donald Trump’s endorsement and a narrow poll lead over Democrat Xavier Becerra, both Republicans cast themselves as the party’s best chance in California’s jungle primary.
  • The rivals promised sweeping conservative overhauls — new dams, tougher crime policies, gutting environmental rules — as Central Valley voters, anxious over water and culture wars, weighed which Republican could win statewide.

CLOVIS, Calif. — In the waning days before California’s primary election, the two top Republicans running for California governor delivered closing arguments in front of a friendly Central Valley audience Friday evening.

Though Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton have attacked each other throughout the campaign, they abstained from feuding and instead focused on common enemies — Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers who control the Legislature.

Hilton criticized Newsom’s new $20-million program to provide free diapers for families of newborn babies, referring to the outgoing governor as “the great loaded diaper of California himself.”

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Earlier this year, Hilton and Bianco topped the governor’s race polls as a packed field of Democrats split many of the state’s liberal voters. Under California’s “jungle primary” system, where the top two candidates advance from the primary to the general election regardless of political affiliation, that led to fleeting hope among Republicans that the two candidates could shut Democratic candidates out of the November election.

“That idea was always a fantasy,” Hilton wrote in an op-ed published in the New York Post earlier this week in which he urged Bianco to drop out of the race “for the sake of the state we both love.”

“Steve, it is time for you to drop out,” Bianco retorted in a video posted to social media soon after. “In no world, no world does Steve Hilton beat a Democrat in November.”

After winning an endorsement from President Trump in early April, Hilton has steadily outpaced Bianco in polls. A poll commissioned by the California Democratic Party released last week showed Hilton leading the field with support from 22% of likely voters, followed by Democrat and former Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra with 21%. Bianco was at 10%, down from 15% in a previous poll conducted two weeks prior.

Still, Bianco, the two-term sheriff of California’s fourth most populous county, is a favorite of many Republicans in the state and won more support from delegates during the party’s recent endorsing convention than Hilton, though neither reached the necessary 60% to win the party backing.

While the two candidates have needled each other with personal digs and insults throughout much of the campaign, they appeared to set that energy aside during the Clovis forum and even traded some compliments. Hilton praised “sheriffs like Chad who actually understand what public safety looks like” while Bianco acknowledged that his opponent “should be very proud” to have Trump’s endorsement.

State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), who moderated the more than 90-minute event, praised their “extraordinary civility” before she pressured each to commit to backing whichever Republican makes it through the June 2 primary — or if they both advance, continue to focus on policy debates over attacks.

Click here to read the full article in the LA Times

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Race for California governor: Becerra gets campaign boost, Hilton tries to gain Republican votes

May 22, 2026 By Josh Haskell 2 Comments

California’s June primary election is less than two weeks away, and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is getting a boost in his campaign for governor.

Becerra was on the campaign trail at Dulan’s on Crewnshaw Tuesday, alongside Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

“If I have an opportunity to be between Jasmine Crockett and Rex Richardson between now on June 2, I’m going to win this race,” said Becerra.

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“I can tell you that Xavier didn’t become a progressive yesterday. California, you need Xavier in this moment. I am so ecstatic to stand here in support of someone that I know will do an amazing job and will scare the (expletive) out of Trump,” said Crockett.

“No matter how you pray, what hot sauce you eat, no matter who you love, this is a campaign where everybody belongs,” Richardson added.

Becerra has surged in the governor’s race since Eric Swalwell dropped out just over one month ago.

“California voters are not anxious to have someone who wants to buy the office and they’re also not anxious to have somebody who is towing the Trump line,” said Becerra.

Christina Bellantoni, a professor at USC’s Annenberg School, said Becerra has the right momentum at the right time.

“He could pull this thing off. And I’ve also really noticed that the Steyer campaign has gone increasingly negative on Becerra. And to me, that says they view him as the biggest threat,” Bellantoini added.

One of the other frontrunners, Republican Steve Hilton, clearly views the other Republican in the race, Chad Bianco, as his biggest threat.

Click here to read the full article at KABC News

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What’s next in the still-undecided California governor’s race? Insiders weigh in

May 18, 2026 By Brett Stover 1 Comment

Inside California Politics) — With a new poll showing a new top candidate in the California governor’s race, Inside California Politics host Nikki Laurenzo spoke this week with two political insiders about the state of the campaign.

In that survey, conducted by Emerson College Polling in partnership with Inside California Politics, Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra took a narrow lead in the race.

Read more: New poll shows major shift in California governor’s race

Both analysts — Republican strategist Rob Stutzman and Democratic consultant Andrew Acosta — weighed in on whether Becerra’s viral KTLA interview could hurt the now-top-polling candidate.

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“If you had seen a transcript of that with no names attached, you could easily conclude that was Donald Trump talking to a reporter,” Stutzman said of Becerra’s pre-interview question of whether it was for a “profile piece” and not a “gotcha piece.”

Stutzman addressed the role Dana Williamson’s plea deal will play in the race. He noted that Williamson’s attorney laid the conspiracy at the feet of Sean McCluskie, not Becerra.

“It certainly helps him a great deal, but it’s not going to stop his opponents from attacking,” Stutzman said.

Read more: Former Newsom, Becerra aide pleads guilty to 3 of 23 counts in corruption trial

Even though Tom Steyer’s support has shot up from 4% in December to 17% — and a virtual tie for second — in May, Acosta says the Democratic billionaire may have “hit a ceiling.”

“I think voters are like, ‘We’ve heard everything we can about Steyer. What’s left?” Acosta said.

Click here to read the full article at KTLA

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California Democrats deploy risky strategy to shut out Republican governor candidates

May 14, 2026 By Zain Khan 2 Comments

A growing number of California Democrats are embracing an unusual election strategy ahead of the state’s crowded gubernatorial primary: waiting until the final possible moment to cast their ballots.

The tactic is being fueled by anxiety within left-wing circles over the state’s open primary system, where the top two candidates advance to the November election regardless of party affiliation, infamously earning the name “jungle primary.”

With multiple Democrats splitting the vote and two Republicans performing strongly in polling, some progressive activists fear a scenario in which Democrats are entirely excluded from the general election, CalMatters reported.

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The concern intensified earlier in the race when many Democratic voters rallied around former Congressman Eric Swalwell in hopes of consolidating support behind a single candidate.

Swalwell’s campaign, which at the time was gaining momentum as he lead polls among others his block, collapsed after multiple women accused him of sexual assault, reopening uncertainty among Democratic voters searching for a viable contender.

Now, some party activists and politically engaged voters are urging Democrats to hold on to their ballots until late in the election cycle, monitor polling trends and then unite behind whichever Democrat appears most capable of advancing.

Katie Evans-Reber, a San Francisco voter, said the uncertainty has changed the way she plans to vote this year.

“In a normal year,” Evans-Reber said she would likely support former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, even though Porter currently trails the frontrunners in polling. But Evans-Reber said the political stakes feel much higher this election cycle.

Click here to read the full article in the New York Post

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Chad Bianco explains why he should be California’s next governor | California Politics 360

May 11, 2026 By Staff 2 Comments

Chad Bianco sat down for an interview with California Politics 360 for a wide-ranging conversation on his run to be the state’s next governor.

The Riverside County Sheriff is running as a Republican in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who terms out at the end of 2026.

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Bianco is promising to make significant changes to state spending, regulations, and priorities.

“Somebody has to do it to make a drastic change, the last thing California needs is the status quo,” Bianco said.

Bianco expressed concern about affordability in the state, saying, “I came to California looking for the best life possible and I do believe I truly achieved it, and I unfortunately now have kids looking elsewhere for theirs because they can’t afford to buy a house, they can’t afford gas, they can’t afford groceries.”

He criticized the state’s spending practices, stating, “We have hundreds of billions of dollars in budget. We don’t have a money problem. California has never had a money problem, we have a massive spending problem.”

When asked about cutting programs, Bianco said, “I don’t know if I would say cutting programs. I would say, I think we can all possibly agree from the last two months a quarter of our budget is fraud, I guarantee it. That we could find $50 billion a year on fraud.” He added that fraud exists across “every single department,” including areas like homelessness, medical services, and the DMV.

Bianco emphasized the need to reprioritize government spending, saying, “First we have to go back to government’s responsibility anyway and priorities are where you spend your money and California’s priorities are completely upside down.”

He said public safety should be the top priority, stating, “No matter what, the number one role of any government federal or not, is public safety. The federal government keeps us safe from foreign invaders, local government keeps us safe from criminals. Police and fire is the number one responsibility in government.”

Click here to read the full article at KCRA

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How MAGA Sheriff Chad Bianco is shaking up the 2026 California gubernatorial primary

May 10, 2026 By Kevin Rector and Hailey Wang 3 Comments
  • Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is polling above 10% in California’s gubernatorial race on a tough-on-crime platform closely aligned with President Trump’s agenda.
  • State data show violent crime rose through much of his tenure as sheriff, and his department cleared fewer reported crimes than other sheriff’s departments, according to state data.
  • Bianco also faces scrutiny for seizing more than 650,000 election ballots in what critics call a baseless fraud investigation.

Chad Bianco’s campaign for California governor leans heavily on his years as Riverside County sheriff, a record that has drawn praise from voters yearning to return to a tough-on-crime era and harsh criticism from others who consider him a far-right affront to the rule of law.

The stout, mustached Republican is running an unapologetic campaign against the “Democrat policies that have destroyed this state,” launching into angry diatribes about, as he sees it, the left’s failed record in California in debate after debate, on social media and in news interviews, during which where he often accuses the media of being complicit.

In an interview with The Times, Bianco said he is sick of what he calls soft-on-crime Democrats in Sacramento undermining him and other law enforcement leaders across the state, whom he wants to unleash if given the power.

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Part of Bianco’s prescription for turning California around: cracking down on theft and drug offenses, stiffening sentences for both petty and violent crime, building more detention facilities, collaborating with federal immigration forces to deport immigrant offenders, and demanding greater personal accountability from homeless people suffering from mental illness and drug addiction.

“It is impossible for me to keep my county safe because of politics. It is impossible for me to run my jails correctly because of politics. It is impossible for me to prosecute someone to the fullest extent of the law because of politics,” Bianco said. “Politics is destroying the state of California — and unfortunately for the Democrat Party, they are 100% to blame.”

It’s a message that has clearly resonated with a slice of the California electorate. Bianco has consistently polled above 10% among likely voters, putting the MAGA-aligned sheriff among the top tier of gubernatorial candidates in deep blue California thanks to a slew of Democratic candidates still splitting their party’s much bigger base.

It’s also a message receiving increased scrutiny as the June 2 primary nears, from rival candidates on both sides of the political aisle.

A spokesman for Democrat Xavier Becerra, who served as California attorney general during part of Bianco’s time as sheriff, called Bianco a “tyrant” and said he has run his department “like a man who answers to no one — not the president, not the courts, not the people he was elected to serve.”

Click here to read the full article in the LA Times

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