Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to November election in California governor's race, CBS News projects

Local News Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to November election in California governor's race, CBS News projects By Richard Ramos Richard Ramos Web Producer, CBS Sacramento Richard Ramos is a web producer for CBS Sacramento who was born and raised in Sacramento. He graduated with a BA in Journalism from CSUS. Read Full Bio Richard Ramos Updated on: June 5, 2026 / 7:57 PM EDT / CBS LA Add CBS News on Google CBS News projects that Democratic former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has advanced in the primary for the 2026 California governor's race. A second candidate in the race has not yet been projected to advance. California elections operate under a top-two primary system, meaning that the two candidates with the most votes will face off in November's general election.   The race to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom remained close throughout the week between Becerra, Republican candidate Steve Hilton, and Democratic candidate and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer. While Steyer gained some ground with more ballot drops throughout the week, it was Hilton and Becerra who held the top two spots in the race since the polls closed in California on June 2. Hilton remained at the top of the field throughout the vote count until Friday's ballot drops were released, which resulted in Becerra overtaking the top spot in the race. Becerra notably gained a significant boost in the race after former Rep. Eric Swalwell's exit in April. Once the first ballot returns started rolling in, showing Becerra as a leading candidate, he framed himself to supporters as the underdog in the race who "never gave up." California's vote-counting process has faced criticism from some Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who has questioned the pace of ballot counting without providing evidence of wrongdoing. State and local election officials have defended the process, noting that all ballots are subject to the same verification requirements regardless of when they are received. The governor's race attracted a diverse field of candidates from politics, business and media, reflecting what many viewed as one of the state's most competitive open-seat contests in years. Pre-election polling suggested no candidate had established a dominant lead. Surveys conducted before Election Day consistently showed large numbers of undecided voters, while Hilton, Becerra and Steyer generally occupied the top tier of the field. Several high-profile candidates saw their campaigns come to an end shortly after polls closed Tuesday. Former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa each acknowledged they would not become California's next governor. Other notable candidates included State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a Democrat, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican. California voters have elected Democratic governors since 2010, when former Gov. Jerry Brown succeeded former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who reached his term limit.  The state's affordability crisis remained a dominant issue throughout the campaign. A recent CBS News poll found that 70% of registered California voters described the cost of living where they live as "unmanageable." The same survey found widespread skepticism about economic opportunity in the state, with just 7% of registered voters saying the "California Dream" remains attainable today and 64% said they were not confident it is still within reach. In: California Governor's Race © 2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.