California governor’s primary pitted experience against promises of change

California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra thanks Amy Perez for her support as he passes out cookies at the Planned Parenthood headquarters in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)2026-06-02T04:02:48Z SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two Democrats and a Republican were leading in early returns Tuesday in California’s crowded primary for governor, a campaign that tested voters’ appetites for an experienced politician or candidates promising change.Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, pitched himself as a steady leader able to work the levers of government. Meanwhile fellow Democrat and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer promised progressive change. And Republican Steve Hilton, a conservative commentator and former British political adviser, said he would give the famously liberal state a badly needed reset after years of one-party rule.“Change is coming to California, and it’s long overdue,” Hilton said in Southern California on election night.California puts all candidates on a single primary ballot regardless of party, and the top two finishers advance to the November general election. About 60 candidates were on the ballot, most of them largely unknown to the state’s roughly 23 million voters. The end of the voting period, which began in early May, concludes a chaotic contest without a clear front-runner. Candidates tried to elbow each other out in the final stretch as each sought to convince voters that they were best prepared to lead the most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Democrats Katie Porter, a former member of Congress; and Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose were among other contenders in the race. Mahan conceded in a speech to supporters shortly after polls closed. Affordability has been a key themeThe through line of the race was how to tackle the state’s notoriously high cost of living. Drivers were paying $6.08 per gallon at the pump as of the end of May, $1.65 higher than the national average, according to AAA. Meanwhile the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office has estimated that the typical home is about $775,000, more than double the national average. And Californians pay the second-highest residential electricity rates behind Hawaii, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Read More Steyer campaigned as a progressive, promising to eliminate private health insurance in favor of a government-run system with no premiums and to raise taxes on corporations and the ultrawealthy like himself. “We should have a system based on fairness, not asking for fairness, where the most privileged pay their fair share, not by charity but by law,” he said.Meanwhile Hilton said he would make Californians’ first $100,000 free of income tax, increase oil production and freeze in-state tuition at public colleges and to try to make the state more affordable.Democratic leaders have not done enough to bring costs down, said Republican Rosamaria Cerezo, a 57-year-old substitute teacher who planned to vote for Hilton.“Both my husband and I have two jobs each just to make ends meet,” she said. Primary system creates uncertaintyEarlier in the race, Democrats worried about possibly being locked out of the general election even though they count 45% of the state’s registered voters compared to Republicans’ 25%. The concern was that their relatively crowded field of candidates could split the Democratic vote enough for the two Republicans to advance under the single primary system, which was first used at the statewide level in 2014. But in the race’s final days, it was Republicans who feared a potential lockout.Brett Christensen, a 55-year-old school safety monitor from Orange who is not registered in a political party but tends to vote Republican, chose Hilton.“He’s the only viable Republican candidate that can make it to the runoff,” Christensen said. Candidates squabbled over their recordsBecerra, who had struggled to gain traction early on in the race, started raising more money and picking up powerful endorsements in recent months. He says his years of political experience have prepared him to lead the state.“I ran for the job because I know how important California is as a shining light to the world,” he said in a speech Tuesday night.But that momentum also made him a target, and his rivals criticized his leadership as health secretary including his handling of an influx of unaccompanied migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021, when Becerra’s Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for shelters where they were housed. Democrat Tamara Alton, a 65-year-old marriage and family therapist, was voting for Becerra because of his experience.“I’m going to go with him because I want somebody that knows what they’re doing,” Alton said. Steyer’s campaign spent or booked more than $203 million in ads for

California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra thanks Amy Perez for her support as he passes out cookies at the Planned Parenthood headquarters in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)2026-06-02T04:02:48Z SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two Democrats and a Republican were leading in early returns Tuesday in California’s crowded primary for governor, a campaign…

California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra thanks Amy Perez for her support as he passes out cookies at the Planned Parenthood headquarters in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)2026-06-02T04:02:48Z SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two Democrats and a Republican were leading in early returns Tuesday in California’s crowded primary for governor, a campaign that tested voters’ appetites for an experienced politician or candidates promising change.Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, pitched himself as a steady leader able…