California primary races have no clear winner; Trump pick loses in Iowa
Six states across the country held primary elections on Tuesday, but the most closely watched races came out of California and Iowa.
One of California’s biggest races was at the city level and now, Los Angeles appears to be headed for a high-profile mayoral runoff.
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass is on track to advance to November after falling short of the 50% needed to win outright. And with ballots still being counted, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt appears to have the inside track for the second spot, holding a lead over City Council Member Nithya Raman.
Bass is campaigning on experience and her efforts to rebuild Los Angeles after last year’s wildfires.
“Los Angeles is the creative capital of the world, where we dream and we make our dreams come true. Where our industry was leaving but we are bringing it back. We’re bringing it back,” Bass told her supporters Tuesday night.
Pratt has positioned himself as a political outsider promising change at city hall.
“Now I feel very confident that I am going to continue to work hard and learn everything I need, to learn how to build my teams, show all the experience I’m going to surround myself with because that’s a concern that was coming to build that experience around. We have five months to build the best team the city could ever dream of around me,” Pratt said.
California governor’s race still too close to call
In the race for governor, Republican Steve Hilton holds a narrow lead in early returns, with former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, close behind.
If those standings hold, both men would advance to November under California’s top-two primary system.
“Change is coming to California and it’s long overdue,” Hilton said. “I want to just say something from my heart to every single person who’s voted for me. We’re not — we’re not there yet, but it’s looking good.”
Becerra also seemed optimistic when speaking to his supporters.
“While I take nothing for granted, there are lots of ballots left to be counted. It appears that we are on track to advance to November,” he said. “One step closer, one step closer to the son of those hard-working immigrants, Maria and Manuel Becerra, becoming the next governor of the great state of California.”
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California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during an election night event Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Huntington Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) -
California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra motions during an election night event Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) -
California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer speaks during an election night event Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Billionaire Tom Steyer also remains in contention as counting continues and he’s not giving up just yet.
“We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted,” he said Tuesday. “We’re going to give democracy time to work. And we know we finished really strong.”
Trump pick loses in Iowa
In Iowa, one of the biggest surprises of the night came in the Republican race for governor.
Trump-backed Congressman Randy Feenstra lost to farmer and businessman Zach Lahn by about one percentage point — a margin of roughly 2,000 votes.
Feenstra has conceded, and Lahn will now face Democratic state auditor Rob Sand in November.
And in Iowa’s open U.S. Senate race, Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson won the GOP nomination and will face Democrat Josh Turek in November.
Supreme Court rules on Alabama district maps
And the U.S. Supreme Court is allowing Alabama to use its current congressional map while legal challenges continue.
In a 6-3 vote along ideological lines, with conservatives in the majority, the justices granted an emergency request to use a congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts.
The map was enacted in 2023 but has never been used.
A lower court recently found the map discriminated against Black voters, but the Supreme Court’s order means it will remain in place for now.
In the three-page ruling Tuesday, the court said the state is likely to ultimately prevail on its claim that the map was lawfully drawn.
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.
- Red meat allergy rises with ticks as HHS targets Lyme disease, alpha-gal syndrome.
- We’re building a new Straight Arrow. Help us shape our future by taking our survey.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
