Republican Steve Hilton has secured a spot in the November gubernatorial election after late ballots were counted. Democrat Tom Steyer was locked out of the race. The projection came Monday evening from Decision Desk HQ.
With 84 percent of the vote counted, Xavier Becerra held 27.6 percent, Hilton stood at 25.1 percent, and Steyer had 22.4 percent. The outcome ends Steyer’s campaign, which spent more than $200 million of his own funds. Hilton received an endorsement from President Trump and urged Republicans to unite behind him to avoid suppressing turnout in November. Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco received about 10 percent of the vote. The race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom featured several Democratic candidates who dropped out amid scandals. Former congressman Eric Swalwell exited after sexual harassment allegations, and former representative Katie Porter struggled after a leaked video. Dan Schnur of USC and UC Berkeley said the Swalwell controversy pushed Democrats toward Becerra as a stable choice. The Cook Political Report ranks the general election as solidly Democratic.
