Overview
- Early tallies on Tuesday showed Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra near the top of the gubernatorial field but the race remained too close to call with roughly half of expected votes still uncounted.
- Secretary of State Shirley Weber and multiple outlets warned that California’s universal mail‑in system and the unusually large, all‑candidates ballot will stretch the count for days as ballots postmarked by Election Day continue to arrive.
- Billionaire Tom Steyer has spent about $200 million of his own money and trailed in early returns, while Hilton’s standing received a notable boost from an endorsement by President Trump.
- In Los Angeles, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass was projected to advance to a November runoff but it was unclear whether she will face Republican Spencer Pratt or Democrat Nithya Raman because many L.A. mail ballots remained uncounted.
- Beyond governor and mayor, the delayed count affects key House primaries under new district maps and could shape which party has the advantage in November, so officials and campaigns say the focus is now on which late ballots arrive and how they break.