Becerra, Hilton and Steyer battle for lead in California primary

Today is the last day to vote in the California primary elections for local and state representatives and ballot measures. In Southern California, the most contested seats are for governor and for Los Angeles mayor. 

While it is unlikely that there will be a winner announced tonight, the latest U.C. Berkeley poll, released on Friday, shows the top three candidates for governor are Democrat Xavier Becerra (25%), Republican Steve Hilton (21%) and Billionaire Tom Steyer (19%). 

Another poll by Emerson College, conducted May 27 and 28, shows Becerra with 28%, Steyer at 22%,  Hilton at 21% and 4% undecided. 

Far behind are Democrats Katie Porter and Matt Mahan at 5% and Antonio Villaraigosa at 2%. Republican Chad Bianco shows 11% of support, but in recent days, Hilton has been calling that a vote for Bianco is a vote for the Democrats since Republican votes would be divided. 

Top three candidates campaign promises

If elected as governor, Becerra, the former state attorney general and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration, would be California's second Latino governor since statehood and the first since Romualdo Pacheco, who served from Feb. 27 to Dec. 9, 1875.

His priorities as governor are “fighting Donald Trump;'' delivering affordable healthcare “without debt or delays;” building more affordable housing; using “the power of the state to lower prices where the market has failed;” ensuring that artificial intelligence “that works for everyone'' and to “govern differently'' in the effort to reduce homelessness, which he called “a moral emergency and policy failure.”

Steyer has detailed plans to reduce gas prices and bring electricity costs down.

The billionaire investor said, “Corporations and billionaires (should) pay more taxes.” He has highlighted a desire to generate greater employment in the television and film industry statewide by combating runaway production with stay-at-home incentives, as well by eliminating burdensome regulations.

Hilton has spent most of his career as a political strategist and observer. He worked for former British Prime Minister David Cameron, after which he moved to California, where he has lived for almost 15 years.

Hilton has made tax reductions, spending limits and curbs on bureaucratic red tape some of his central campaign themes.

The battle for Los Angeles

At least 15 candidates are trying to oust Incumbent Karen Bass to become the next mayor of Los Angeles. However, it is Councilwoman Nithya Raman and former reality TV star Spencer Pratt who are the top two contenders. 

The latest poll by UC Berkeley shows Bass with a 26% approval rating, followed by Raman at 25% and Pratt at 21%. The poll conducted between May 19-24 showed 10% of undecided voters. 

In 2022, Bass won the seat by a short margin against billionaire developer Rick Caruso, but her tenure has been negatively affected due to the slow response to homelessness and housing crisis, as well as her absence during the first days of the 2025 wildfires when she was out of the country. 

It's been 21 years since an incumbent mayor faced a runoff after governing their first term. In 2005, then-Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa defeated then-Mayor James Hahn, who sought re-election for a second term.

Hahn became the first incumbent to lose re-election in 32 years since Sam Yorty lost to Tom Bradley in the 1973 mayoral election.

The primaries traditionally have a low voter turnout. In 2022, while there were almost 27,000 eligible voters, only 21,941 were registered and out of this total 33% cast their vote. 

Aside from California, another five states have primaries today: Montana, Iowa, New Mexico, South Dakota and New Jersey. 

With CNS information.