HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA - Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra were leading in unofficial early returns Wednesday morning and appeared positioned to advance to the November California gubernatorial election in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in steering the nation's most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.
Hilton, a one-time British political strategist turned American conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by President Donald Trump, and Becerra, a former California attorney general who later served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden's administration, were in the lead early Wednesday morning, with votes still being counted and results not yet certified.
"Change is coming to California, and it's long overdue," Hilton told supporters at his primary night watch party in Orange County.
Hilton, in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview following his speech, said speaking "honest, simple truths" to voters boosted his campaign. "Everything is too expensive in California. We’re going to cut people’s costs," he pledged.
Becerra, who, if elected in November, would make history as California's first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco briefly served in 1875, told supporters that his campaign's success is "more than a Hollywood ending. More than a milestone. That's the everyday miracle of living in a state that makes the improbable seem inevitable. And I couldn't have done it without you."
Becerra, in his speech in Los Angeles, took aim at Trump, who is very unpopular in California according to public opinion polls.
"As Governor, I will never back down from the threats of small cowards in big offices. I sued Trump 122 times before and I won, and won, and won. And anyone who wants to come at California will have to go through me," Becerra emphasized.
Hilton spotlighted Trump's support during his primary campaign and when asked by Fox News Digital if he'll continue to showcase the president's support during the general election, he said, "We're going to be working together when I'm governor to bring positive changes to California. And I think that's something everyone can get behind."
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla mulled launching Democratic bids for governor, but both last year announced they would take a pass. That resulted in the lack of a clear Golden State gubernatorial frontrunner for the first time in more than a quarter-century.
And the race was overshadowed for much of last year, as the devastation from the Los Angeles-area wildfires and Trump's immigration raids grabbed headlines in California.
But the showdown for governor entered the spotlight earlier this year when one of the leading candidates, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race and then resigned from Congress after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he continues to deny.
Swalwell's exit from the race opened the door for first Steyer and then Becerra to rise in the polls.
Bianco, who launched his campaign for governor in April of last year, was among the top contenders in the race until Trump's endorsement of Hilton in early April appeared to blunt his momentum.