Republican Steve Hilton is gradually expanding his advantage over Democrat Xavier Becerra in California’s gubernatorial race as more votes are counted. Hilton currently holds 27.8 percent of the vote, while Becerra has 25.4 percent, leaving the Democrat trailing by roughly 120,000 votes statewide. Democrat Tom Steyer is running third with 19.6 percent and appears increasingly unlikely to secure a spot in the November runoff election. Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco remains in fourth place with 11.3 percent of the vote, well behind the leading contenders. Under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates receiving the most votes advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. If the current results hold, Hilton and Becerra would face each other in November. Such an outcome would give Hilton an opportunity to become the first Republican elected governor of California in approximately twenty years, marking a significant political milestone for the party statewide.
