California's gubernatorial primary remained too early to call Wednesday morning with 50% of the expected vote counted, according to NBC News' Decision Desk. Three main candidates — former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican, and two Democrats, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and billionaire activist Tom Steyer — are competing for two spots in the general election under California's all-party primary system.
Under California's primary rules, all candidates appear on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the November general election. The candidate currently in fourth place, Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, is running at 11%, well behind the leading three.
What the Right Is Saying
Hilton projected optimism about his position and the direction of his campaign. "We're not there yet, but it's looking good," he told allies. "It looks very much as if Californians really will have the chance to vote for change in November and take our state in a new direction, a fresh start for our state, which is long overdue."
Republican supporters pointed to Hilton's 27% showing as evidence of strong voter appetite for an alternative to Sacramento's Democratic leadership. The GOP has not won a California gubernatorial race since 2003.
Conservative commentators noted that Bianco's fourth-place position was disappointing given his profile as Riverside County Sheriff, suggesting that name recognition from Hilton's media career may have provided an advantage in the crowded field.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic candidates Becerra and Steyer emphasized their campaigns' resilience as vote counting continued. Becerra, who highlighted his journey from an immigrant family to a gubernatorial candidate, told supporters that he was counted out early in the race.
"Almost immediately, he's counted out, an afterthought, overlooked by many, outspent by a ton, even called along the way to drop out and save us the trouble," Becerra said. "Well, guess what? The underdog stayed in the fight. Like my parents, I never gave up."
Steyer expressed confidence that his campaign finished strong despite trailing in early vote counts. "It might take some time to figure out where this is going, we're going to wait till every ballot is counted, we're going to give democracy a time to work, and we know we finished really strong," he said.
Progressive Democrats noted that while Hilton held a narrow lead, the combined Democratic vote share exceeded his individual total. Party strategists are closely watching whether Becerra or Steyer can overtake Hilton as more ballots are tallied in the coming days.
What the Numbers Show
Current vote totals with approximately half of expected ballots counted show: Hilton at 27%, Becerra at 26%, Steyer at 20%, and Bianco at 11%. Combined Democratic support stands at roughly 46% compared to Hilton's 27% and Bianco's 11%.
In key House races, GOP Rep. David Valadao leads comfortably in California's 22nd District, but two Democrats are competing for the second spot: Randy Villegas holds a slight lead over Jasmeet Bains, 30% to 26%, with less than half the expected vote tallied.
In Northern California's 6th District, independent Rep. Kevin Kiley faces a tight three-way race between Democrat Richard Pan and Republican Michael Stansfield, who were trading leads as vote counting continued Wednesday morning.
In Los Angeles mayoral contest, incumbent Karen Bass holds 37% of the vote with two rivals competing for second place: Republican Spencer Pratt at 29% and Democrat Nithya Raman at 21%.
The Bottom Line
Vote counting in California is expected to continue for days due to the state's protracted process, making it difficult to project when the gubernatorial matchup will be finalized. The outcome matters because California's all-party primary system could result in a November general election featuring two candidates from the same party.
House race results could have significant implications for control of Congress. Democrats are targeting Valadao's seat, while Kiley's independent status in the 6th District creates an unusual three-way dynamic with uncertain general election consequences.
What to watch: whether Becerra can overtake Hilton as more ballots are counted, which Democrat advances alongside him, and how the House race outcomes shape each party's path to a congressional majority next year.