California runoffs – Ballots still being counted after Tuesday primaries left California mayoral and governor races too close for a clear winner, while Iowa delivered a sharp Republican upset: Trump-backed Congressman Randy Feenstra conceded to Zach Lahn by about one percentage po
By late Tuesday night. the biggest political question in California wasn’t who would win—it was who would be forced into another round. In Los Angeles. the math of the top-two system meant incumbent Mayor Karen Bass could not close the deal outright. and with ballots still being counted. former reality TV star Spencer Pratt appeared to be pulling into position for the runoff.
Bass, campaigning on experience and her efforts to rebuild Los Angeles after last year’s wildfires, was headed to November after falling short of the 50% needed to win outright. With the second spot up for grabs, Pratt held a lead over City Council Member Nithya Raman.
“Los Angeles is the creative capital of the world, where we dream and we make our dreams come true. Where our industry was leaving but we are bringing it back. We’re bringing it back,” Bass told her supporters Tuesday night.
Pratt. who has framed himself as a political outsider promising change at city hall. sounded less interested in the spectacle of Tuesday’s results than in what comes after. “Now I feel very confident that I am going to continue to work hard and learn everything I need. to learn how to build my teams. show all the experience I’m going to surround myself with because that’s a concern that was coming to build that experience around. We have five months to build the best team the city could ever dream of around me,” he said.
The same uncertainty played out across California in the governor’s race. Early returns showed Republican Steve Hilton holding a narrow lead over former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. a Democrat. Under California’s top-two primary system, if those standings held, both men would advance to November.
Hilton told supporters, “Change is coming to California and it’s long overdue. I want to just say something from my heart to every single person who’s voted for me. We’re not — we’re not there yet, but it’s looking good.”
Becerra, speaking to his supporters with counting still underway, projected confidence without insisting the outcome was locked. “While I take nothing for granted, there are lots of ballots left to be counted. It appears that we are on track to advance to November,” he said. “One step closer. one step closer to the son of those hard-working immigrants. Maria and Manuel Becerra. becoming the next governor of the great state of California.”.
Billionaire Tom Steyer also remained in contention as the count continued, saying he would wait for every ballot to be tabulated. “We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted. We’re going to give democracy time to work. And we know we finished really strong,” Steyer said Tuesday.
On the other side of the country. Iowa’s primary brought a different kind of shock inside the Republican Party—one that cut against the momentum Trump-style endorsements often aim to create. In the GOP race for governor. Trump-backed Congressman Randy Feenstra lost to farmer and businessman Zach Lahn by about one percentage point. a margin of roughly 2. 000 votes.
Feenstra conceded, and Lahn moved on to face Democratic state auditor Rob Sand in November.
Iowa also offered clarity in the open U.S. Senate race, where Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson won the GOP nomination. She will face Democrat Josh Turek in November.
While party battles played out in states, the U.S. Supreme Court tackled a case with long-running implications for representation. The justices allowed Alabama to use its current congressional map while legal challenges continue, granting an emergency request in a 6-3 vote along ideological lines.
The map, enacted in 2023 but never used, eliminates one of Alabama’s two majority-Black districts. A lower court had recently found the map discriminated against Black voters, but the Supreme Court’s order means it will remain in place for now.
In a three-page ruling Tuesday, the court said Alabama is likely to ultimately prevail on its claim that the map was lawfully drawn.
The result of Tuesday’s primaries was not just who moved forward—it was how quickly politics can force people into the next phase. In Los Angeles and across California, it’s a runoff waiting in the wings. In Iowa, it’s a Trump-backed path snapping into concession and a new matchup heading into November. And in Alabama, it’s a congressional map staying put as the fight over voting power continues in court.
California primary Los Angeles mayoral runoff Karen Bass Spencer Pratt Nithya Raman California governor race Steve Hilton Xavier Becerra Tom Steyer Iowa governor primary Randy Feenstra Zach Lahn Rob Sand Ashley Hinson Josh Turek Alabama congressional map U.S. Supreme Court voting rights