Overview
- California held its high‑profile primary on Tuesday, June 2, but slow early returns and a large number of outstanding mail ballots mean the top‑two finishers for governor remain too close to call.
- The top‑two system puts the two highest vote‑getters into November regardless of party, creating a real risk that vote splitting could produce an unexpected pairing on the final ballot.
- Polling and early returns have Xavier Becerra in the lead while Tom Steyer and Republican Steve Hilton are locked in a tight fight for second, with Steyer’s roughly $195–200 million in self‑funded ads and President Donald Trump’s endorsement boosting Hilton.
- California law allows ballots postmarked on Election Day to be counted through June 9 and the secretary of state can certify results by July 10, meaning close races and new congressional lines from Proposition 50 could take days or weeks to be settled.
- Concerns about turnout patterns and election administration have risen after data showed Democrats returning ballots more slowly than Republicans and reports of local ballot seizures and legal disputes that could affect public confidence in the count.