Hilton, Becerra remain ahead in California gubernatorial race

By Chris Woodward
The Center Square

It still appears that Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra will advance out of the June 2 primary and into the Nov. 3 general election for governor of California.

As of noon Pacific time Wednesday, Hilton, a Republican who was an adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010-2012, had 27.8% of the vote. Becerra, a Democrat who served as secretary of health and services during President Joe Biden, had 25.4%.

Tom Steyer, the Democratic billionaire philanthropist who still hasn’t conceded, is in third place with 19.6%.

That’s with 100% of the state’s precincts partially reporting.

Republican candidate Chad Bianco and Democrats Katie Porter and Matt Mahan are a distant fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

The information comes from the California Secretary of State’s website.

Hilton – who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump – has been criticized for being a former Fox News Channel host. However, Hilton told The Center Square going into the primary that he has “the range of experience” needed to be governor.

“Most of my career has been in business, working in business in the U.K. and around the world, starting my own companies ranging from a consulting firm to restaurants to a tech company here in California,” said Hilton. “I know how to get something going, build a team, focus on results.”

Hilton added that he has a problem-solving, pragmatic business mindset from a career in business.

“But I also have experience in government, in government reform,” said Hilton. “I was senior adviser to the prime minister in the U.K., worked on 10 Downing St., was part of the team leading the implementation of our domestic policy reform program. And I know how hard it is to make change happen in government how difficult it is to turn around an entrenched bureaucracy.”

That, said Hilton, is going to be very valuable when he arrives in Sacramento.

Becerra, who has not responded to The Center Square’s multiple requests for an interview, believes he is the better candidate for the job.

The former U.S. representative, California attorney general and Biden cabinet member surged in the polls after U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-San Francisco Bay Area, dropped out of the race and resigned from Congress amid sexual assault allegations.

“One of our opponents may have a billion dollars,” said Becerra in a June 2 social media post about Steyer. “But we have something stronger: nurses, teachers, firefighters, union workers, dreamers and everyday Californians who believe government should work for the people.”

Becerra was heavily criticized by Democrats in recent debates. Becerra dismissed it as proof that he was leading the polls, and criticism comes with that territory.

A Steyer commercial accused Becerra of accepting money from oil companies, but The Center Square found no record of such campaign contributions from specific oil companies during research of public disclosure statements. Becerra, who had $7,420,877.50 in 7,388 contributions, received $39,200 from California Real Estate Political Action Committee and a $15,000 donation from the California Academy of Family Physicians PAC as the largest amounts.

Hilton raised $11,408,079.87 in 34,712 contributions, including $39,200 from Pacific Coast Companies Inc., which describes itself as an environmental service company. Steyer raised the most money of any campaign in the race: $197,085,105.25 from 373 contributions. Much of this came from Steyer himself, although there are donations from people and organizations such as the United Domestic Workers of America Action Fund at $8,935.89.

Meanwhile, Hilton and Becerra have both acknowledged that housing and affordability are big concerns in California. They both have plans to build more homes and help people make ends meet.