California Governor's Primary: Becerra Leads, Hilton and Steyer Battle for Second

California voters are heading to the polls in one of the most uncertain governor's primaries in recent memory, with the top two candidates advancing to the November general election. The race to succeed term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom has been unusually open, with no clear frontrunner among Democrats for much of the campaign.

Democratic former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra leads in opinion polls, backed by much of the state's Democratic establishment. Republican Steve Hilton, endorsed by Donald Trump and a former Fox News host, is polling in second place, while billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, a progressive Democrat who has self-funded his campaign with $213 million, is fighting for a top spot.

The primary concludes a long and winding campaign in which Democrats struggled to unite behind a single candidate. The election comes at a consequential time for California, with residents facing a crushing cost of living, high gas prices exacerbated by the war in Iran, wildfire risks driving insurance companies out of state, an unstable state budget, impending federal cuts to the state's health system, and an economy dampened by immigration enforcement.

Becerra has promised to fight the Trump administration and freeze insurance and utility rates. Hilton has vowed to cut income taxes and slash environmental regulations.

Steyer has positioned himself as a populist "class traitor" who would take on special interests to lower costs. Votes could take days or weeks to tally, with pollsters noting that lingering Democratic uncertainty led some voters to wait to back whoever appears ahead.

The seat is considered a shoo-in for Democrats in November, given their nearly two-to-one registration advantage over Republicans, and holds national importance for the party's pushback to the Trump administration.