Becerra, Hilton to square off for California governor

By Dave Mason
The Center Square

The latest results from the June 2 primary confirm Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton will run against each other for governor of California in November.

And with most of the ballots counted in the close Los Angeles mayoral race, two Democrats will face each other on Nov. 3. Mayor Karen Bass has 34.32% of the vote or 290,761 ballots. City Councilmember Nithya Raman has 28.98% or 245,490 votes.

Spencer Pratt, a Republican who’s a former reality TV star, is in third place with 25.51% of the vote or 216,122. That’s according to results from the Los Angeles Register-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office.

As of Tuesday night, more than 2.2 million ballots were counted, leaving an estimated 23,000 ballots that need to be processed, the registrar-recorder’s Office said in a news release. If Pratt got all 23,000 votes, he would still be in third place with 239,122 ballots, and only the top two vote getters will go on to the general election.

In the gubernatorial race, Becerra, a Democrat who’s a former congressman, California attorney general and U.S. secretary of health and human services, and Hilton, a Republican who served as an adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron and was a Fox News Channel host, have maintained their leads.

Around 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Secretary of State’s Office’s website showed Becerra with 27.9% of the vote, or more than 2.39 million ballots cast. Hilton had 25% of the vote, or approximately 2.14 million ballots. They’ll run against each other in the Nov. 3 election.

The third-place finisher, Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer, had 22.5% or more than 1.9 million votes.

The Center Square reached out to Hilton and Becerra Wednesday, but did not hear back by publication time.

Hilton thanked voters in a post Tuesday night on Facebook.

“I am running for governor to be of service to you – to make California the greatest place in the world and to restore the California Dream. Change is Coming,” Hilton wrote.

The candidate made more comments in a video that accompanied the post. He said the best thing about advancing to the general election is “every single person in California who wants change will now have the chance to vote for it. By the way, this is a majority of Californians.”

He said he wants the state government to get “the basics right so you can live your dreams.”

On the social media platform X, Becerra said he has fought for California families throughout his career. He received posts of congratulations from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s termed out, and another Democrat, former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lives in Los Angeles.

Newsom’s wife, first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, also congratulated Becerra, who thanked her and added, “I’m honored to have your support as we work to build a stronger California for everyone.”

In the Los Angeles mayoral race, Bass and Raman thanked supporters.

“Today, we kicked off our fight for November!” Bass wrote in a post Tuesday night on Facebook. “I was so excited and, frankly, honored to be joined by supporters from across the coalition that delivered first place in the primary last week and will bring home the win in the General Election this November.”

Bass said her coalition of supporters span labor, business, entertainment, immigrant advocates and community leaders who are continuing “to fight to continue changing L.A.”

Raman expressed her gratitude on Monday.

“I’m incredibly honored that voters have given us the opportunity to advance to the general election for Mayor of Los Angeles,” Raman posted on the social media platform X.

Pratt on Tuesday posted a photo of a duck sitting on the water on X, with no caption or explanation.

The Center Square Wednesday reached out to Bass, Pratt and Raman, but did not hear back by publication time.