California Primaries Too Close To Call: Bass Advances In LA Mayor’s Race

BreakingBusinessCalifornia Primaries Too Close To Call: Bass Advances In LA Mayor’s RaceBySara Dorn,Forbes Staff. Sara Dorn is a Forbes news reporter who covers politics.Follow AuthorJun 03, 2026, 10:43am EDTToplineHotly contested mayoral and gubernatorial primary races in California were too close to call nearly 12 hours after polls closed Wednesday—with only incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as a clear winner. Los Angeles Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is seen speaking with the media outside Don Antonio's restaurant on June 02, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)GC ImagesKey FactsBass, a Democrat, secured 35% of votes, with 63% of votes counted as of Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, securing her spot in a runoff. Republican Spencer Pratt was in second with 30% and Democratic LA City Council member Nithya Raman was behind him with 22%.In the gubernatorial race, Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton led the pack with 28%, followed by Democrat Xavier Becerra with 25%, billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer with 19% and Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco with 11%.As of 10 a.m. ET, 58% of votes were counted in the gubernatorial contest.California typically takes days to count votes in competitive elections thanks to the state’s large population and universal mail-in voting system that allows ballots to be counted up to seven days after Election Day as long as they’re postmarked on or before it. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); iframeDoc.body.appendChild(script); }; document.head.appendChild(iframe); const preloadResourcesEn...