California’s June 2 jungle primary is still too close to call, with Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra leading the field as roughly half the ballots are counted. Across other states, Democrats scored major Senate and governor nominations while
By the early hours of June 3, California was still counting—slowly, methodically—while two political newcomers-to-the-spotlight stood near the top of the heap in a governor race that could end up deciding whether the country’s “TV-to-politics” pipeline makes it to the fall.
With about half the votes counted as of 2 a.m. ET on June 3, Republican Steve Hilton held the lead with about 27%. Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former Biden administration official, was next with roughly 26%. The tight separation between them matters because California’s non-partisan “jungle primary” allows only the top two vote-getters to advance to the November general election.
Becerra told supporters, “The California Dream is alive tonight.” Hilton, a former Fox News host endorsed by President Donald Trump, was positioned to benefit from that same political gravity—if the count holds.
Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire climate activist who battled Becerra in the final weeks, was at approximately 20%. Republican Chad Bianco followed with 11%.
Steyer, speaking during his campaign party in San Francisco, said, “We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted,” and added, “We’re going to give democracy time to work.”
Even in this closely watched contest, the most politically charged question was how television-famous candidates might perform. The results didn’t settle whether first-time candidates running as Republicans in California—Hilton among them. alongside another TV personality mentioned in the reporting context—could win a place in the general election.
In Los Angeles, the same night delivered its own suspense. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass advanced to the November general election. most likely against Republican Spencer Pratt. who was in second place with 29% of the vote with just over half of the vote counted. Bass led with 37% of the vote. Progressive Democratic socialist L.A. Councilwoman Nithya Raman was trailing in third at 21%.
Pratt, at his campaign party, leaned into the tension of the moment, telling reporters, “She knows it’s on. I hope she’s ready!”
A separate Los Angeles dynamic—Bass’s historically low approval ratings—had raised the fear of an upset. That fear eased as the vote count continued, even if the race remained close enough to keep both camps watching.
Democrats had their own reasons to feel momentum elsewhere on June 2. In one of the most striking developments in Iowa, the Republican winning streak in primaries under Trump’s preferred candidates ended earlier than expected.
In Iowa, Democrats nominated state Rep. Josh Turek to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in what forecasters are treating as a competitive 2026 Hawkeye State Senate race. Iowa, which has shifted from swing status to reliably Republican in recent elections, now looks more vulnerable partly because Sen. Joni Ernst retired and because voter anxiety over Trump’s trade wars has made Republicans “unusually nervous. ” according to the reporting.
Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, drew national attention as a “prairie populist” with an inspiring biography: he was born with spina bifida due to his father’s Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War.
Hinson, a third-term congresswoman, sailed through the Republican primary with Trump’s endorsement. She told the political public she would be the president’s “top ally” if elected to the Senate. but she has also begun pivoting toward the political center. In a statement to the USA TODAY Network. Hinson said she would fight to “make life more affordable.” She also emphasized support for Trump’s “one big. beautiful bill” that included tax cuts on tips and overtime pay. “I’ll work with anyone, from any party, to get things done for Iowa,” Hinson said.
Democrats are expected to draw contrasts on trade, spotlighting the ill effects of Trump administration trade policies on Iowa agriculture.
The Iowa GOP also faced a sharper-than-expected internal test in the race for governor. Republican businessman Zach Lahn—who entered the primary as a virtual unknown—stunned presumed favorite U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra to win the party’s nomination. The reporting cited CNN and Decision Desk HQ on the upset.
Trump endorsed Feenstra in the final days, but it wasn’t enough. The Associated Press called the race for Lahn at 11:50 p.m. local time on June 2, and Feenstra conceded earlier than that.
Lahn will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination.
In New Jersey, a different kind of uncertainty hung over voters: where Rep. Tom Kean Jr. had been. Kean’s nearly three-month absence from Capitol Hill was tied to an undisclosed “health matter,” and his return still left questions unanswered for many watching.
Kean said in a June 2 statement, “I will transition from virtual work to in-person work within a matter of weeks.” Trump, in a social media post, described the 57-year-old Kean—who has missed more than 100 votes—as “working tirelessly” for New Jersey.
On the Democratic side, Rebecca Bennett, 39, a retired Navy helicopter pilot, won the four-way primary to challenge Kean this November. The 7th Congressional District—along the northwestern Delaware River border with Pennsylvania—is described as one of the critical toss-up contests for the 2026 midterms. with various political forecasters treating it as pivotal.
The district is among the wealthiest in the country, with a roughly $105,000 median household income. Kean originally won the district by a little less than three percentage points in 2022. Trump won the district again in 2024, but Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill prevailed there in last year’s statewide contest.
If Democrats take back the House of Representatives from Republicans—who hold a 217-to-212 member majority—this race could become a key “blue wave” bellwether.
New Mexico’s June 2 result, meanwhile, set up the most potentially historic general election storyline of the night. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland won the Democratic nomination for New Mexico governor, setting up a contest that could make her the first Native American woman to lead a state.
The 65-year-old former congressmember would face Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull in November. Haaland is already the first Native American woman elected to Congress in 2018 and the first Indigenous member of the cabinet.
Haaland began running almost immediately after leaving the Biden administration in 2025. Her campaign relied on her fundraising network and a progressive resume that included being an early supporter of the Green New Deal and “Medicare for All.”
She pledged at the outset to tackle major problems in New Mexico around crime, addiction and education. A WalletHub study last year ranked New Mexico last nationwide in math and reading test scores, and also in median SAT scores.
In November, Haaland and Hull are likely to tangle over Trump as well as policy differences on how to manage a boom in tax revenue driven largely by surging oil prices linked to the ongoing war with Iran.
New Mexico is the country’s second-largest oil-producing state after Texas. State officials estimated earlier this year that the war would inject an additional $850 million into its tax revenue before the budget year ends in June, according to the Associated Press.
The same day that tightened California’s path to the general election also redirected attention to other races where party fortunes shifted fast—especially in Iowa, where Trump’s preferred candidate couldn’t translate endorsement into victory.
Even with the counts still in motion in California and the campaigns still sorting what the vote math will allow. the patterns are already clear across the map: Democrats advanced on multiple fronts. Republicans faced friction where they expected momentum. and November contests in New Jersey and New Mexico are taking shape around stakes that go well beyond a single primary night.
MISRYOUM
California governor primary Steve Hilton Xavier Becerra Tom Steyer Chad Bianco Los Angeles mayor race Karen Bass Spencer Pratt Nithya Raman Iowa Senate race Josh Turek Ashley Hinson Zach Lahn Randy Feenstra Rob Sand New Jersey primary Tom Kean Jr Rebecca Bennett New Mexico governor Deb Haaland Gregg Hull
27% vs 26% like who even wins at that point?
So wait, it’s a “jungle primary” but only 2 go through? That seems kinda messed up, like the other votes don’t matter. Also Steve Hilton being a Fox guy probably explains the hype.
Xavier Becerra leading barely makes me think the whole thing is rigged or something. Why is it always “counting slowly” in CA every election? Like they’re dragging it out until they know the outcome elsewhere… I saw “TV-to-politics” and thought that’s basically every candidate now anyway.
I don’t get how 50% counted means anything. If Hilton’s at 27 and Becerra at 26, that’s basically a tie, so the “TV-to-politics pipeline” thing feels dumb to me. Billionaire climate activist Steyer was mentioned too right? So is he still in it or did he just disappear already lol.