Tense governor’s race in California unsettled as vote-counting continues | California
The California governor’s race remained unsettled Thursday as state election officials continued to review uncounted primary votes; This process may take days or even weeks as voters eagerly await the results.
Polls showed British-born conservative pundit Steve Hilton narrowly leading the race, followed by former U.S. health and human services secretary Xavier Becerra. Billionaire Tom Steyer stood behind the duo. Under California’s primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election.
The question of who will face off in November could remain unanswered for weeks, according to election officials. Under state law, California counties must complete vote counting by June 15, but some ballots are exempt from that deadline. For example, mail-in ballots postmarked on election day and received by June 9 are valid and may be processed beyond the deadline.
An estimate of the number of remaining unprocessed ballots is expected on Thursday. Faced with a crowded slate of gubernatorial contenders, many Democratic voters used mail-in ballots leading up to election day to weigh which candidate had the best chance of landing one of the top two spots.
The ongoing situation did not prevent Donald Trump from declaring the victory of his favorite candidate.
“Congratulations to Steve Hilton for coming first in the California Governorship vote last night,” he said. wrote in his Wednesday Truth Social post. “If Californians are smart, and I know they are, they will install Steve in the Governor’s Mansion and watch their state improve at a rate probably never seen before.”
Becerra, meanwhile, appeared in good spirits at a watch party Tuesday night. He likened himself to an underdog, alluding to his more modest chances at the start of the race and rival Antonio Villaraigosa’s call for him to withdraw from the race.
“Only the people have the final say,” he told his supporters. “While I don’t take anything for granted, with so many ballots left to count, it looks like we’re on track to move into November.”
Steyer’s team acknowledged standing behind Hilton and Becerra in the early returns and called for patience during the vote counting process.
“There is still much to see, and we will give democracy time to work,” Steyer campaign manager Heather Hargreaves wrote in a letter to supporters Wednesday.
As the slow voting process continues, some conservative commentators was promoted false claims of voter fraud. As mail-in ballots that tend to skew Democrats face criticism from Republicans, Trump issued an executive order aimed at restricting their use nationally.
After the polls closed on Tuesday, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber asked voters to be patient. “California election officials are prioritizing the right to vote and election security over expediting vote counting,” he said.
The slow vote count comes after a long and crowded race to lead California. At one point, at least 10 Democrats hoped to replace Gavin Newsom. The chairman of the state’s Democratic party has repeatedly called on candidates without a “viable path” to win to leave, though without much success.
Meanwhile, this year’s election resulted in the most expensive gubernatorial race ever recorded, with nearly $316 million spent on advertising. Advertising Effect. The bulk of that (about 64% of every dollar spent) came from Tom Steyer, whose campaign fell by more than $200 million, according to the analysis. Steyer alone spent more than the total in the last two gubernatorial contests, and the race was the fifth-most expensive among non-presidential races.
Voters across the state are still awaiting the results of several contests, including the Los Angeles mayoral race, where Karen Bass advanced to a runoff, while former reality TV star Spencer Pratt and progressive city councilwoman Nithya Raman are vying for second place.
