USA Republicans still in the race for governor of California
In the Democratic stronghold of California, a Republican can hope to win one of the two seats in the final round of the gubernatorial election.
03.06.2026, 09:31
SDA
After around half of the votes were counted in the primary, former Democratic US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton were running neck-and-neck, as can be seen on the Secretary of State's website.
Hilton, who is supported by President Donald Trump, comes from the UK and has been active in British politics and on the conservative TV channel Fox News. In polls before the primary, he was roughly tied with billionaire Tom Steyer, who is running for the Democrats.
It was initially unclear whether Steyer would be able to catch up as the votes were counted.
Non-partisan primary
Unlike in many other states, the top two candidates in California make it to the final round regardless of their party affiliation.
Democratic voters are clearly in the majority in California. However, in view of the large number of candidates running, there was some concern within the party that the votes would be spread too thinly between individual Democrats and that two Republicans would end up in the final selection.
However, the other Republican candidate, Sheriff Chad Bianco, is now in fourth place in the primary.
Fractured Democrats
According to political scientist Donna Crane of San Jose State University, the fragmentation of the Democratic vote among many candidates contributed to the possibility of a Republican advancing to the final round.
"They shot themselves in the foot," she said on ABC. The Democrats' most promising candidate was originally Congressman Eric Swalwell. However, he dropped out after allegations of sexual assault.
Following her defeat in the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris was also considered a possible candidate for governor. However, she decided against running and is keeping the prospect of another race for the White House open.
Economic powerhouse California
The current governor, Gavin Newsom, cannot run again after two terms in office. He is considered a possible Democratic candidate for the 2028 presidential election. California is an economic powerhouse thanks to the tech industry in Silicon Valley and its agricultural industry, among other things.
At the same time, residents complain about high property prices and the cost of living.
Due to California's importance, the state's governor is also influential nationwide. Newsom's predecessors included Ronald Reagan, who became president a few years later, and Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger until 2011.
He was the last Republican governor of California to date.
Mayoral election in Los Angeles
Parallel to the gubernatorial primary, candidates were also selected for the final round of the mayoral election in Los Angeles.
Following the counting of some of the votes, it appears that the incumbent Karen Bass is likely to run for the Democrats in November against the Republican Spencer Pratt, who once made a name for himself on reality TV.
In his election campaign, Pratt benefited, among other things, from the frustration of some of the city's residents, who criticized the slow reconstruction after the fires in early 2025.
