Tom Steyer Makes Gains In California Governor’s Race, But It May Not Be Enough To Overtake Steve Hilton
Democrat Tom Steyer, still hoping to compete against Democrat Xavier Becerra in November’s California gubernatorial election, has made gains in the vote count, but it may not be enough to overtake Republican Steve Hilton. The latest results after Monday’s vote drop ha…
Democrat Tom Steyer, still hoping to compete against Democrat Xavier Becerra in November’s California gubernatorial election, has made gains in the vote count, but it may not be enough to overtake Republican Steve Hilton.
The latest results after Monday’s vote drop have Hilton with 25% of the vote, and Steyer with 22.3%. Becerra, who on Friday was projected to move on to the November election, has 27.6%.
In the latest counts, Steyer has made gains in areas such as Los Angeles County, where he added 58,642 votes in the latest drop, to Hilton with 26,496. But those gains have been countered by Hilton’s performance outside Democratic strongholds.
According to the California Secretary of State, about 2.4 million ballots remain to be counted statewide.
California’s open primary means that the top two finishers go on to the November general election, regardless of party.
In Los Angeles County, Steyer trails Becerra, 25.64% to 31.4%, but leads Hilton, who is at 25.6%.
Becerra, the former secretary of health and human services and state attorney general, was written off as an also-ran in the race until the Democratic front runner, Eric Swalwell, dropped out amid sexual misconduct allegations in April. Becerra rose in the polls, surpassing Steyer, who has shelled out more than $200 million on his campaign ad, per the AP.
Hilton, the former Fox News host, has been running a campaign focused on what he calls the failures of one-party rule in the state, given Democrats control of all statewide offices and the legislature. No Republican has been elected statewide since 2006, the year Arnold Schwarzenegger was reelected as governor. If he makes the November race, Hilton will face the hurdle of running in a blue state and with the endorsement of Donald Trump, who is deeply unpopular.
On Monday, Becerra posted a response to Trump’s claim that the state’s protracted vote count is an example of Democrats cheating. Becerra wrote on X, “California isn’t the problem. Trump’s hatred of our democracy is. In California, we count every vote. Not just the ones Donald Trump likes.”
