Ex-Fox star Steve Hilton surges in California governor race but nail-biting fate hinges on agonizing trickle of votes

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT Published: 06:36, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 06:58, 3 June 2026 Republican California gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton looks on track to make the November runoff, but the ex-Fox star's fate hangs in the balance of the state's thousands of mail-in ballots.  Hilton was leading the pack an hour after polls closed - as Democratic former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra pulled ahead of fellow Democrat, billionaire Tom Steyer, in the crowded open primary. In the closing weeks of the gubernatorial primary campaign, it became apparent that the race had turned into a three-way contest to replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom. Instead of voters from each party choosing a candidate that will advance to the general election, California uses a jungle primary, meaning the two top vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to November.  Deep blue California hasn't seen a Republican governor since movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger's tenure, from 2003 to 2011.  Hilton gave a hat-tip to Schwarzenegger onstage with supporters Tuesday night, revealing he had a jacket made that had American and California flags stitched inside.  'Arnold, that was for you!' he said.  Catering to the independents and Democrats he'd need to win in a general election, Hilton vowed that his run wasn't 'ideological.' 'It's time for positive, practical things,' Hilton said.  Republican gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton shows off his jacket that has a California and USA flag stitched inside as he addresses supporters Tuesday night. Hilton looked poised to head to the general election  Leading the race Tuesday night was former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (left) while billionaire and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Tom Steyer (right) was coming in third, early results showed  Your browser does not support iframes. Earlier on CNN, he said the results were 'obviously encouraging.'  'What we're really watching is the gap between me and the third-place candidate, Tom Steyer. As long as that gap stays roughly where it is, then Californians will have a choice for change in the general election - that's what really matters here,' the London-born Hilton added.  Polling generally showed that Becerra had taken Representative Eric Swalwell's place as the frontrunner.  Swalwell bowed out of the race after his campaign was derailed by sex abuse allegations in April, which also prompted the California Democrat to resign from Congress. Swalwell has denied the claims.  Becerra came to the race as an experienced politician. Besides serving in President Joe Biden's Cabinet, he was formerly California's Attorney General and a former US House member representing portions of Los Angeles.  Still, some in the Democratic Party had reservations about his candidacy.    Former Department of Justice official Xochitl Hinojosa said on a CNN panel last month that Democrats who worked for Biden are wary that Becerra would be able to stand up to President Donald Trump.  'Can I tell you after working in Joe Biden's administration, I do not trust Xavier Becerra to do that,' she said.  'He was not effective in government,' Hinojosa went on, when prodded by host Abby Phillip. 'And I think a lot of people in the Biden administration are talking about this because they realize he's not an effective HHS secretary. If you ask any Cabinet secretary, they would tell you the same thing.'   Republican California gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton was born in London and previously served in the British government before becoming a US citizen and mounting his campaign where he started out Election Day as the leading GOP candidate The two leading Democrats before Election Day were former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (left) and billionaire businessman Tom Steyer (right), who previously ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary  Going into Election Day, the top three California gubernatorial candidates appeared to be (from left) Republican Steve Hilton, Democrat Xavier Becerra and Democrat Tom Steyer Last month, Becerra also took heat for an awkward interview he had with KTLA's Annie Rose Ramos, where he attempted to set the ground rules while the cameras rolled.  'By the way, this is a profile piece, this is not a gotcha piece, right?' Becerra asked.  Republican Steve Hilton, a London-born US citizen, became a Fox News star on the heels of Trump's first election.  He previously served as part of British Prime Minister David Cameron's government before giving politics a try across the pond.  Hilton portrayed himself as someone who could get along with the current administration - instead of fighting them tooth and nail like Newsom.  He also pledged to make California 'Californable' - by lowering income and business taxes and expanding domestic energy production to push gas prices down to $3.   He was officially endorsed by Trump for California governor in April, though fellow Republican, Sheriff Chad Bianco, stayed in the race.  On Saturday, Hilton publicly encouraged Bianco to drop out of the race to ensure that at least one Republican would appear on the November ballot.  Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton exits his pickup truck emblazoned with the campaign slogan 'Golden Again'  Republican hopeful for California governor, Sheriff Chad Bianco, (pictured) has remained in the race, despite pleas from fellow Republican Steve Hilton to bow out so that Hilton has a chance to make it to the November general election  'There is one person who can stop this doomsday scenario,' Hilton said in a social media post. 'And that is my friend, Chad Bianco. Chad, the best time to drop out would have been a couple of weeks ago. The second best time is right now.'  That's because Hilton has been battling billionaire Democratic businessman and environmentalist Tom Steyer for second place.  Steyer was a 2020 Democratic hopeful for the White House, who dropped out of the race after a poor showing in the South Carolina primary.  His plaid ties and decision to sing 'Back the Azz Up' alongside rapper Juvenile at his final event in the Palmetto State could not overcome powerful Representative Jim Clyburn's endorsement of former Vice President Joe Biden - who went on to win the primary and the presidential race.  Steyer rebooted his political career with the California run, where he's spent more than $200 million just on advertising, according to the Associated Press - topping every other candidate across the nation in spending.  He used gimmicky social media posts to enhance his candidacy, too.  On Monday night, Steyer visited a West Hollywood gay bar for a karaoke session to kick off Pride month. In a social media post, Steyer admitted that while he can't sing, he and his wife, Kat, belted out Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down.  On Election Day, billionaire Tom Steyer told voters 'I'm about to ride the D,' meaning the newly opened D line on the Los Angeles Metro  Former Representative Katie Porter saw her gubernatorial campaign get derailed by viral videos that saw her berating a staffer and walking out on a reporter. In 2024, she lost California's Senate primary to Senator Adam Schiff And then on Election Day, the candidate shared a post that said: 'I'm Tom Steyer and I'm about to ride the D.'  The 'D' he was referring to was LA's D Line, a branch of the Metro that opened earlier this year.  A handful of other Democrats remained in the governor's race despite party worries that both Republicans, Hilton and Bianco, could advance to the general election due to the overcrowded field.  Notably, former Democratic Representative Katie Porter stayed the course.  She was elected to Congress in 2018 as part of a substantial anti-Trump blue wave and became a household name thanks to viral moments during committee hearings.  But her political career hit a roadblock when she lost the 2024 California Senate primary to now Senator Adam Schiff.  She appeared to be well-positioned in the governor's race, but her brand got tainted after videos went viral of her berating a staffer and walking out on a CBS interview.   The comments below have not been moderated. 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