Xavier Becerra advances in governor’s race. What’s next for California elections?
Democrat Xavier Becerra, who served as Health and Human Services secretary under the Biden Administration, nabbed one of two spots in the California governor’s race Friday evening, according to The Associated Press and Decision Desk.
But right now, it’s still not known who he will face in the general election, as ballots are still being counted. The way California elections work is that the two candidates who gain the most votes in the primary move on to the general election, no matter what party they’re in.
Currently, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Tom Steyer are in the lead for who will be in the general with Becerra.
Cal Matters reports that Becerra is heavily favored to win if Hilton advances, as Democrats in California outnumber Republicans by about two-to-one, and Hilton has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Steyer winning, though, would make things much more competitive, the local news outlet said.
Up until recently, Becerra hadn’t been as much of a force in the governor’s race. Then, former senator Eric Swalwell, seen as the primary’s frontrunner, dropped out amid sexual misconduct and assault allegations made against him.
“We’re just getting started. On to November,” Becerra said on X Friday.
Meanwhile, Hilton told supporters that “change is coming,” USA Today reported.
On Tuesday, the day of the California primary election, Steyer vowed to finish strong.
According to AdImpact, the California gubernatorial primary is the most expensive governor’s race on record in the U.S., as well as the fifth-most expensive non-presidential race.
Steyer, AdImpact said, is the “chief driver of spending,” with his campaign shelling out $201.2 million on ads, which accounts for 64% of every dollar spent in the primary. Becerra has garnered $24.4 million in total ad support, through his campaign as well as outside groups such as Working Families for Healthy Communities, Supporting Becerra for Governor and Latinos United for Xavier Becerra.
A growing trend AdImpact has noticed is that ads for the candidates are getting more negative.
“Through March, nearly all broadcast airings targeting the race were positive,” AdImpact said. “Since then, 33% of broadcast airings have been either contrast or negative ads.”
Should Becerra win the election, he would be the first Latino to be elected governor in California.
Per the AP, other candidates heading to the general election in their races are: Fiona Ma, a Democrat for lieutenant governor in California; Democrat Tessa Hodge, in the U.S. House in California’s 23rd congressional district; and Republican Joe Males for the U.S. House in California’s 25th congressional district.
Ballots still being counted
As Straight Arrow has reported, California is notoriously slow to post election numbers, and the latest primary races are no different. This has led Trump to, without evidence, claim that Democrats are attempting to steal elections. He pointed to the “the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS.”
Now, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said his office has “multiple election fraud investigations underway” in coordination with the FBI’s Los Angeles Bureau.
His office, Essayli said, is also working with Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon on an audit of California’s voter rolls.
“My office will not look the other way,” Essayli said. “We will investigate and prosecute. Every legal vote deserves to be counted. Every illegal vote cancels one out.”
Experts and organizations like the Brookings Institution have said voter fraud, including with mail-in voting, is rare.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Saturday denied accusations of voter fraud in an appearance on MS Now. He said in an interview on “The Weekend” that “there are no details, there is no specifics, there is no specific allegation of any individualized act of voter fraud.”
“Every count, recount, hand count, court case and audit has shown time and time again — not just in California, but throughout this country — that there is no widespread voter fraud,” he said.
Bonta went on to say claims of voter fraud are “only a figment of the imagination of Trump and others who follow that conspiracy theory.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, California tried to make it easier for people to vote by mail. As long as mail-in ballots in California are postmarked by Election Day and reach the registrar’s office within seven days of the election, they are considered valid.
Experts Straight Arrow spoke to said the delay in California isn’t due to counting ballots, but verifying signatures.
“Registrars have literally millions of ballots up and down the state,” Thad Kousser, professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, previously told Straight Arrow. “They have to check their signatures against voter registration forms in California, and that is part of the reason why it takes several days for California to report enough votes to make close calls.”
Round out your reading
- Plea bargains keep America’s courts running. Guilt or innocence barely matters.
- Trump says the media isn’t covering one of his biggest accomplishments. We checked.
- Mike Lindell denied MyPillow was hacked. Its private data is now online.
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- We’re building a new Straight Arrow. Help us shape our future by taking our survey.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
