California Picks Newsom's Successor: Becerra, Steyer and Trump-Backed Hilton Battle in 61-Candidate Jungle Primary

Californians voted Tuesday in a sprawling, 61-candidate primary to choose a successor to term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, the first wide-open race for the nation's most populous state's top job in more than a decade and a contest that has scrambled the usual partisan lines under California's top-two "jungle" primary system.

Under that system, every candidate appears on a single ballot regardless of party, and the two highest finishers advance to the November general election — even if both are Democrats or both are Republicans. With the Democratic field fractured among several well-funded contenders, the format has raised the prospect of a Republican slipping into one of the two runoff spots in a deep-blue state that has not elected a GOP governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Former Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who later served as Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration, entered Election Day as the polling leader. A late Emerson College survey put Becerra at 19 percent, with former Fox News host and Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton and billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer tied at 17 percent in the fight for second place. A UC Berkeley poll gave Becerra a wider lead at 25 percent, followed by Steyer at 15 percent, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 13 percent and Rep. Katie Porter at 12 percent.

The crowded Democratic lane — which also includes Porter and Steyer — has fueled fears among party strategists that Democrats could split their vote and hand a November slot to Hilton or Bianco. President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Hilton, calling him a strong conservative voice, a move that has nationalized a race already shadowed by Trump's intensifying clashes with California over immigration, the National Guard and the ongoing Iran war.

The governor's race headlined a six-state primary day that also included contests in Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. In New Jersey's competitive 7th Congressional District, CNN projected former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett would win the Democratic primary and challenge Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in the fall. In Los Angeles, voters weighed in on a closely watched mayoral race pitting incumbent Karen Bass against progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman and Trump-backed reality TV personality Spencer Pratt.

Whoever emerges from California's primary will inherit a state grappling with a persistent housing crisis, the aftermath of the 2025 wildfires and a budget under strain, while serving as a leading counterweight to the Trump administration. Polls across the state closed at 8 p.m. Pacific time, with the two finalists set to square off in the Nov. 3 general election.