Becerra vs – Republican Steve Hilton advanced to California’s November governor general election, setting up a matchup with Democrat Xavier Becerra under the state’s top-two primary rules. Hilton will face a political reality shaped by Democratic dominance, while both men
By the time California finished counting millions of mail ballots, the shape of November was no longer in question: Steve Hilton had made it through the state’s top-two primary, and Xavier Becerra was waiting on the other side.
Hilton, a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump, will face Becerra in the general election to determine who replaces Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom is barred from running again because of California’s term limits.
California’s system leaves little room for sentimentality. Under the state’s top-two rules, the two highest vote-getters—regardless of party—move on to the general election. In this race. that means a Democrat who has already held major statewide power will square off against a Trump-backed Republican in a state that has leaned Democratic for years.
Becerra, the former California attorney general and a Biden administration health secretary, enters as the top Democratic name. Hilton, an underdog in a heavily Democratic state, moves forward after finishing second behind Becerra in the primary.
The registration math matters. Democrats hold a nearly two-to-one registration advantage in California, and Democratic gubernatorial candidates have won about 60% of the vote in each of the last three governor’s races.
Hilton’s path wasn’t just about clearing the primary hurdle—it also required outrunning billionaire progressive Tom Steyer, who spent more than $216 million of his own money on the primary. After the primary, Steyer urged supporters to back Becerra.
Hilton’s biography reads like a political hybrid. He previously advised British Prime Minister David Cameron and worked as a host on Fox News. He relocated to the U.S. in 2012 and gained U.S. citizenship in 2021.
Now the campaign turns toward November, where both men have already begun staking out their contrast.
Hilton has attacked Becerra as a “career politician” who would bring “more of the same.” He framed Becerra’s record as a continuation rather than a break.
Becerra has leaned in the other direction, highlighting Hilton’s ties to Trump. Becerra is also emphasizing Trump’s claims of election fraud in California, turning the focus from policy alone to who—and what—drives the opponent.
The policy stakes are already on display, too. Becerra has promised to fight Trump’s policies and to freeze insurance and utility rates for Californians.
The next governor of California will oversee one of the country’s largest state governments. And if Hilton wins in November, he would become California’s first Republican governor in 15 years.
The race is set, the contrast is sharp, and California’s top-two system has delivered a November matchup that is built on both political momentum and political mismatch.
California governor race Steve Hilton Xavier Becerra Donald Trump Gavin Newsom top-two primary insurance rate freeze utility rates election fraud claims