Hilton set for Becerra showdown in California governor race

Hilton projected – Conservative commentator Steve Hilton is projected to advance from California’s top-two “jungle” primary to face former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, setting up a Trump-linked Republican vs. a longtime Democratic Cabinet figure in the rac

When the results started to firm up in California’s crowded gubernatorial primary, Steve Hilton’s path narrowed to one opponent: Xavier Becerra.

Hilton is projected to advance out of the state’s top-two “jungle” primary to compete in the general election against Becerra. who was already projected Friday evening to move on. The matchup is shaping into a direct clash between President Donald Trump’s pick for the job and a longtime Democratic official who has built his case around years in government.

Becerra ran a campaign centered on his experience. and he repeatedly pointed to a résumé that includes serving as California’s attorney general. working as a U.S. representative, and serving as a member of former President Joe Biden’s Cabinet. In the primary, that expertise also fed into both his pitch and the criticism he has drawn.

His opponents’ questions haven’t stayed abstract. They have included doubts about how he handled his time as HHS Secretary and concerns about his ties to entrenched corporate interests. Becerra and his allies have pushed back. leaning instead on what they describe as tangible policy fights—pointing to prior efforts to sue the Trump administration and to slash prescription drug prices.

That fight over credentials was paired with sharper political messaging. “The voters decide who leads California. Not Donald Trump,” read a graphic Becerra posted on social media on Tuesday evening. Hilton, for his part, has been scrutinized for his relationship to Trump, who endorsed him earlier this year.

Hilton’s campaign has worked to connect its promise of change to the president’s agenda. A former Fox News pundit and adviser to conservative U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, Hilton said he would work with Trump on issues including immigration enforcement. He has also echoed Trump’s rhetoric about the need for more voter restrictions and faced backlash for dodging questions about whether Biden won the 2020 election.

In a campaign video on Tuesday, Hilton didn’t mention the president. Instead, he argued that California—where a Republican hasn’t won the governor’s office since 2006—needs a new direction.

“Change is possible, we just have to vote different,” Hilton said.

For many California voters, especially those who skew Democratic, that pitch may land uneasily. In 2024, 58.5% of the state’s voters backed Trump’s opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in the general election.

Hilton’s advance also came after a primary that whittled away an unusually wide field. He ultimately edged out billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer. who ran as a progressive candidate trying to take on the status quo. Steyer embraced policies including a statewide billionaire’s tax and efforts to break up utility monopolies. and he spent more than $200 million of his own money on the campaign.

The political temperature in Washington and beyond has been rising at the same time. In recent days. Trump launched baseless attacks on California’s elections after his preferred candidate for the governor’s race faced a different kind of uncertainty—competition rather than controversy. Reality TV star Spencer Pratt, his pick in the Los Angeles mayoral contest, saw his lead dwindle.

But as of press time, Trump had yet to comment further on Hilton’s success in the primary. Instead, he posted a celebratory graphic about Hilton’s advancement on Truth Social. On Tuesday. Hilton said his team hadn’t seen any impropriety in the state’s elections—while still. like Trump. calling for new voter ID rules and limits to mail-in voting.

The primary that produced this pairing also carried heavy Democratic fallout. Former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). a high-profile Democratic candidate. dropped out of the race after he faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. which he denied. Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) also drew scrutiny after viral videos raised questions about her temperament and treatment of staff.

For months. Democrats struggled to unite behind a single candidate. prompting fears that Republicans could even lock the party’s candidates out of the final ballot under California’s top-two system. Now that fear has given way to a more personal question for voters: whether they see Becerra as the steady hand with government experience—or Hilton as the disruptive force tied to Trump.

Whoever wins this fall will succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), a vocal antagonist of the president who has built a prominent national profile. California’s influence is hard to separate from the campaign. Because of the state’s size and economic contributions, its governor has often wielded significant influence beyond its borders.

The matchup now taking shape between Becerra and Hilton is already being framed as more than a state contest—an extension of the national fight over authority, elections, and who gets to set the terms.

California governor race Steve Hilton Xavier Becerra Donald Trump Joe Biden Kamala Harris Gavin Newsom top-two jungle primary voter ID mail-in voting Tom Steyer Eric Swalwell Katie Porter