Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to general election in California governor’s race

2026 ElectionDemocrat Xavier Becerra advances to general election in California governor’s raceNBC News projects that the former Biden Cabinet official will emerge from the all-party primary, while his November opponent has yet to be determined. California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra delivers remarks during the California Democratic Party convention in San Francisco on Feb. 21.Yalonda M. James / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 5, 2026, 7:47 PM EDTBy Adam EdelmanFormer Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has advanced to the general election in the California governor’s race, NBC News projects.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.His opponent in November has yet to be determined. Former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican, and billionaire activist Tom Steyer, a Democrat are the leading candidates for second place in the all-party primary. See live results hereBecerra, a former California attorney general and 12-term congressman, campaigned on his extensive experience in government in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, portraying himself as a mainstream and moderate Democrat.Becerra was mired low single digits in the polls for much of the campaign. But he rapidly rose to the top of a muddled field of candidates following former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s abrupt exit from the race in April in the wake of sexual assault and misconduct allegations, which he has denied.In California, all candidates run on the same primary ballot in the primary and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, move on to the general election. Hilton and Steyer the next two candidates running behind Becerra. NBC News has not projected which candidate will join Becerra on the November ballot.California is one of a handful of states that send a mail-in ballot to every registered voter. And those ballots are allowed to be counted as long as they...