California's gubernatorial primary remained deadlocked Wednesday morning with half the votes counted, leaving the state's political future uncertain as ballots continued to trickle in across multiple high-stakes races.
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton held a narrow lead in the all-party primary with 27% support, followed closely by former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at 26% and billionaire activist Tom Steyer at 20%. Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco trailed significantly at 11%. Under California's top-two primary system, the two candidates with the most votes advance to November regardless of party affiliation, meaning the state could send two Republicans, two Democrats, or one of each to the general election.
Hilton struck an optimistic tone as results came in slowly. "It looks very much as if Californians really will have the chance to vote for change in November," he told supporters, framing the race as a referendum on the state's direction.
Becerra, who had struggled early in the campaign, reframed his resilience as proof of principle. "The underdog stayed in the fight," he told his backers, invoking his family's immigrant roots and his political journey from being counted out by many observers and financial disadvantage.
Steyer, despite trailing, urged patience. "We're going to wait till every ballot is counted, we're going to give democracy a time to work," he said, suggesting momentum remained on his side.
The sluggish vote count reflected broader delays across California's primary results, with multiple congressional races and a high-profile Los Angeles mayoral contest also hanging in the balance Wednesday morning.
In Southern California's 22nd District, a fierce Democratic primary was underway to determine who would face incumbent Republican David Valadao in November. School board member Randy Villegas, backed by national progressive groups, held a slight edge over state legislator Jasmeet Bains, 30% to 26%, though less than half the vote had been tallied. Valadao, meanwhile, was comfortably ahead of both Democrats.
The newly redrawn 48th District remained wide open, with Republican Jim Desmond leading but no clear second-place finisher between Democrats Marni von Wilpert and Ammar Campa-Najjar. Democrats had targeted the district aggressively after state redistricting made it more competitive.
Northern California's 6th District offered one of the cycle's strangest matchups. Republican-turned-independent Rep. Kevin Kiley was locked in a tight three-way race with Democrat Richard Pan, a former state legislator, and Republican Michael Stansfield. Stansfield and Pan had traded the lead repeatedly through the night, a back-and-forth that could reshape the general election dynamics.
Montana's 1st Congressional District showed signs of Democratic competitiveness following Rep. Ryan Zinke's retirement. Less than two percentage points separated Democratic primary rivals Sam Forstag and Ryan Busse with most votes counted, suggesting either could mount a credible challenge in the Republican-leaning seat.
Two California House primaries drew outsized attention due to the personalities involved. In San Francisco's race to succeed retiring former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, State Sen. Scott Wiener had clinched a general election spot. The battle for the second slot pitted Pelosi-endorsed Connie Chan against progressive activist Saikat Chakrabarti, with Chan leading 29% to 15%. In Southern California, Rep. Ken Calvert had advanced from a district forced to pit two Republican incumbents against each other, while Rep. Young Kim remained locked in a tight contest with Democrat Esther Kim-Varet for the second spot, leading 22% to 16% with roughly half the ballots counted.
The Los Angeles mayoral runoff remained unresolved. Mayor Karen Bass projected to advance with 37% of the vote, but her potential opponent remained unclear. Television personality Spencer Pratt held 29% while city council member Nithya Raman had 21%, with substantial ballots still outstanding. Raman cautioned supporters that clarity might take days. Pratt, meanwhile, was already framing a potential November contest with Bass, saying he wanted time to reach communities he hadn't reached during the compressed primary campaign.
California's famously delayed vote-counting process meant election night winners might not be known for days or weeks, leaving candidates and party operatives in a holding pattern as they awaited final tallies across multiple races with significant consequences for congressional control and the state's political direction.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "California's glacial vote counting turns primary night into a marathon of uncertainty, and with major congressional seats and a governor's office on the line, the state's voters won't know their real choices for weeks."
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