Real-Time Election Results: CA Governor's Primary Election 2026

SACRAMENTO, CA – Voting in one of the most contentious – and expensive – gubernatorial primary elections in California’s history came to a close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and the early results has yielded several surprises with Democrat Xavier Becerra leading the race with 33.7 percent of precincts reporting as of 8:56 p.m.

It was a chaotic election season marked by scandal and tepid voter enthusiasm. Despite the months of campaigning and vast spending, no frontrunner ever ran away with the race, according to months of polling. Heading into election night, the possibility that either two Democrats or two Republicans could emerge to run in the general election was viable.

California struggles with a long-running homeless crisis, wildfire insurance shortages, projected budget shortfalls and housing costs that are out of reach for many working-class families. Voters, meanwhile, are saddled with growing everyday bills for groceries, utilities and gas. Many of these issues proved to be on top of voters’ minds heading into election day.

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RELATED: Real-Time Election Results: CA Congressional Primary Election 2026

In addition to anxiety and scandal, the governor's race has been marked by record spending.

Billionaire Democrat Steyer will leave a mark in the history books following his bid to become California's next governor — he’s running the most expensive political advertising campaign in the country this year.

Steyer — a former hedge fund manager turned liberal activist — has spent or booked more than $195 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio with the tally still growing, according to data compiled by advertising tracker AdImpact. His torrent of ads has opened the one-time presidential candidate to criticism that he is trying to buy the governor's chair, and his ad total represents more than 20 times the amount spent by his nearest rival, fellow Democrat former California Attorney General Becerra, as the two duel for a spot in the November election.

The pair jockeyed for frontrunner status among the Democrats after the fall of Democratic former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who ended his campaign and congressional career amid allegations of sexual assault.

Polling throughout April and May showed both as top contenders along with Republican Steve Hilton, the President Donald Trump-backed former Fox News host. The major storyline has been the possibility that two Republican candidates might emerge from the primary as dozens of Democrats divide the vote. Early polling showed Hilton and Bianco leading, creating anxiety on the left that Democrats could get squeezed out of the general election. In California, the top two vote-getters in the primary — regardless of party preference — advance to the November general election. A poll released Saturday by Emerson College Polling put Becerra in the lead, followed by Steyer and then Hilton.

Dr. Christian Grose, director of the USC Democracy and Fair Elections Lab, said before Tuesday's primary, there were significant divides among voters, and many Democrats have not been enthusiastic about their candidates, pointing to the delay in California voters turning in their ballots.

"In terms of the images that broke through at the close of the campaign, Xavier Becerra's message of experience broke through to Democratic voters. His image is mixed among independent voters, and negative among Republican voters though. Democrats are generally positive about him," Grose said on Monday.

"Tom Steyer's message of ideological progressivism also broke through to Democratic voters, but he could not shake the 'billionaire' label among voters of all partisan stripes. If Steyer loses the election, it will be due in part to the fact he was not able to define himself beyond that image of wealth and billionaire," he added.

Grose said while most Republican voters had made up their minds before Tuesday, there were Democrats still weighing their options on Monday.

Grose noted the results of a new poll conducted by USC, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State University Long Beach released on Monday showed Hilton and Steyer locked in a close contest with an effective statistical tie, but Hilton’s chances of making it past Tuesday’s primary election were not likely, he said.

"Steve Hilton's message did not really break through and most voters identify him with Trump, MAGA, and being a Fox News host who used to live in the UK. Republican voters like him but even there, he is not consolidating as strongly as he probably would like."

The race was upended in April when Swalwell, who had been consolidating support among establishment Democrats, was accused of sexual assault, prompting him to end his campaign.

California eliminated partisan primaries in 2010 in favor of a “ jungle primary.” All voters will get the full list of candidates, and the top two finishers will advance to the general election regardless of party.

Two polls conducted in mid-to-late May suggested that Becerra and Hilton each have the support of about 2 in 10 likely voters. In one of the polls, Steyer landed closer to Becerra and Hilton, with Bianco and Democrat Katie Porter trailing further behind, but similar shares of voters were supporting Steyer, Bianco and Porter in the other poll. None of the other candidates were polling in double digits in either poll.

Among the 61 names on the ballot, money and attention accumulated around a handful of candidates with track records in politics. Here’s a look at those top contenders.

Xavier Becerra, Democrat

Becerra has a 35-year history in California and national politics. He was a member of Democratic leadership in the U.S. House when then-Gov. Jerry Brown picked him to be California attorney general after Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. He used that perch to aggressively fight Trump and his agenda in court during the president’s first term.

He later served in President Joe Biden’s cabinet as secretary of Health and Human Services.

That experience is at the core of his pitch to voters as a steady hand to guide California and stand up to Trump. It has also invited scrutiny.

Some Biden administration alumni have disparaged his record as health secretary, and he has faced persistent questions since a former top aide was convicted of stealing his campaign funds.

After Swalwell dropped out, Becerra consolidated support from many of California’s Democratic power players, including major labor unions, Planned Parenthood and the LGBTQ rights group Equality California.

Steve Hilton, Republican

Trump’s endorsement gives Hilton a leg up with Republicans and perhaps the clearest path of any of the candidates into the general election. But it could be a liability in November in a state that voted overwhelmingly against the Republican president. Hilton largely avoided mentioning Trump unless prompted during a series of debates.

Hilton is a conservative commentator and former Fox New host. Originally from England, he advised former British Prime Minister David Cameron.

In a nod to the dominance of Democrats in California, he is urging voters to elect a Republican as a check on the majority in Sacramento. In contrast with Bianco’s focus on cultural issues, Hilton’s message is tied more closely with the traditional Republican focus on lower taxes and smaller government. He has pledged to make people’s first $100,000 of income tax free and to dramatically lower gas prices.

Tom Steyer, Democrat

The billionaire founder of a San Francisco-based hedge fund, Steyer — or his face, at least — is everywhere ahead of the primary. His record-breaking spending, mostly from his personal fortune, has made his advertising inescapable. That has helped him in his bid to become one of the race’s frontrunners.

Steyer, who has never held elected office, first made a name for himself as a donor to Democratic politicians and groups committed to fighting climate change. He bankrolled a campaign calling for Trump’s impeachment during his first term, and he later financed his own campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination but dropped out after a disappointing showing in early-state primaries and caucuses.

Steyer is running as a progressive populist, railing against the political power wielded by special interests and corporations. His message has endeared him to unlikely allies for a billionaire financier, including the Bernie Sanders-aligned group Our Revolution.

Matt Mahan, Democrat

As mayor of San Jose, Mahan is a moderate Democrat rooted in the pro-innovation ethos of Silicon Valley. His business-friendly pitch and his own background as an entrepreneur have made him a favorite with some in the tech world.

Mahan says California should get “back to basics,” emphasizing technocratic problem solving over factional skirmishes. He entered the race late as an outsider to Sacramento leadership, building a statewide profile mainly by criticizing Newsom and the Legislature’s response to homelessness and crime.

His backing from tech executives — and their millions of dollars — has been controversial in some corners of the party, particularly among labor unions and populists worried Silicon Valley elites wield too much power.

Still, he has struggled to consolidate support on the pro-business left, and even some of his benefactors are hedging their bets. Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale also gave to Republican Steve Hilton.

Katie Porter, Democrat

Once a college professor, Porter made a name for herself with a whiteboard and simple policy messages during three terms representing Orange County in Congress. Her verbal sparring with business executives testifying on Capitol Hill went viral.

Porter is leaning on her populist, anti-corporate background, arguing that she can fight on behalf of normal Californians against powerful interests. Before running for office, she was California’s independent monitor of banks in the national mortgage settlement following the 2008 financial crisis.

Her grasp of policy has helped her amass support from newspaper editorial boards. But she has battled an image as a mercurial leader. Leaked videos showed her berating an aide who could be seen behind her in a Zoom video and threatening to walk out of a television interview. She has apologized and pledged to treat people more respectfully.

Porter ran for Senate in 2024, but she failed to make it through the primary.

Antonio Villaraigosa, Democrat

The former mayor of Los Angeles and speaker of the state Assembly has struggled to gain traction after more than a decade out of public office.

A one-time union organizer, Villaraigosa was the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles in more than a century, a role he filled from 2005 to 2013.

Villaraigosa is pitching his experience in LA and the state Capitol, running as a pragmatic, centrist problem solver in an implicit contrast with his Democratic rivals emphasizing their commitment to a progressive ideology.

Villaraigosa’s roots are in the Southern California political ecosystem, which would be a contrast after four terms of Brown and Newsom, both governors from the San Francisco Bay Area.

He ran for governor in 2018 but finished third in the primary.

Chad Bianco, Republican

Bianco is the sheriff of Riverside County and is emphasizing his three-decade career in law enforcement, pledging to tackle crime and homelessness.

A staunch Trump supporter, Bianco stoked national notoriety when his office seized 1,000 boxes of election material including more than a half million ballots from a 2025 special election on redistricting. He says it is part of a legitimate criminal investigation, but critics see it as a nod to discredited conspiracy theories that have motivated Trump’s base. The state Supreme Court in April ordered him to halt the probe.

The seizure put him at odds with California’s Democratic attorney general and raised his profile among Republicans.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.