Democrat candidate Xavier Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton to succeed outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) as the next governor of California.
Becerra, who was the first Latino Health and Human Services Secretary under former President Joe Biden, pulled ahead of Hilton 65% to 34% with 54% of the vote counted. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 11:13 p.m. Eastern Time.
The former California attorney general will replace Newsom, who could not seek re-election due to term limits, following an election that began with a field of more than 60 candidates.
The California gubernatorial race was unusually wide open from the start. Some of the state’s biggest Democrat names — including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Alex Padilla, and Attorney General Rob Bonta — all declined to even enter the race, leaving a crowded field of mostly lesser-known candidates to battle for position.
Becerra rose to the top of the Democrat heap in April only after former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) was forced to suspend his campaign — and ultimately resign from Congress as well — after several women came forward with accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior and at least one accusation of rape. Swalwell is still facing ongoing investigations.
Becerra campaigned on affordability and health care, attempting to leverage voters’ anger over inflation and higher gas prices — which he attributed almost entirely to the war in Iran. Before Election Day, polls showed Becerra ahead by 25 percentage points.
Trump-endorsed Hilton, on the other hand, argued Becerra’s policies would do nothing to change the issues driving voter frustration — and would only bring Californians more of the same. He pledged to end the homeless crisis in the state.
“I’m a pragmatic problem solving change-maker,” Hilton said in a July event. “We may not agree about national politics, but I think we can agree we need change in California. So many people are desperate to see that.”
Still, the voters chose Becerra on Tuesday.
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