Republican Steve Hilton jumped to an early lead Tuesday evening in a crowded race for California governor Tuesday evening, with Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer close behind, with the top two finishers bound for a November runoff.
A tally of early ballots showed Hilton with about 29% of the vote, and Becerra with 24%, while Steyer was close behind with nearly 17%. Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco had about 15% of the vote.
The race to succeed termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a lively one, but the campaign in recent days appeared to boil down to a toss-up among Hilton, Becerra and Steyer, and the early results showed that scenario playing out.
Becerra had surged in recent polls, with Hilton and Steyer trailing right behind.
Hilton saw a boost in support, moving past Bianco, after being endorsed by President Donald Trump in April.
Hilton has urged voters to back his bid for governor to avoid the possibility of being locked out of the November election by two Democrats. Hilton has spent most of his career as a political strategist and observer.
He worked for former British Prime Minister David Cameron, after which he moved to California, where he’s resided for close to 15 years.
Hilton has made tax reductions, spending limits and curbs on bureaucratic red tape some of his central campaign themes.
Hilton has leveled sharp criticism at Becerra over a campaign finance scandal involving two of the candidate’s employees caught misappropriating funds. Becerra has denied any knowledge of the fraud.
Becerra has said his priorities as governor would be “fighting Donald Trump”; delivering affordable healthcare “without debt or delays”; building more affordable housing; using “the power of the state to lower prices where the market has failed,” ensuring artificial intelligence “that works for everyone” and to “govern differently” in the effort to reduce homelessness, which he called “a moral emergency and policy failure.”
If elected, the former state attorney general and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services would be California’s second Latino governor since statehood and first since Romualdo Pacheco, who served from Feb, 27-Dec. 9, 1875.
Steyer has detailed plans to reduce gas prices and bring electricity costs down.
The billionaire investor said “corporations and billionaires (should) pay more taxes.” He has highlighted a desire to generate greater employment in the television and film industry statewide by combating runaway production with stay-at-home incentives, as well by eliminating burdensome regulations.
Bianco has cast himself as the conservatives’ choice in the race. He has called for increasing “penalties on repeat offenders … to keep dangerous criminals off our streets,” while bolstering “legal aid and mental health services for crime victims.”
Bianco has made border security a priority in his platform, saying California’s “sanctuary state polices” should be abolished to combat human trafficking and stanch the influx of illegal drugs.
The statewide ballot will also include primaries for seven other statewide offices, four seats on the Board of Equalization, all of California’s 52 congressional seats, 20 of the 40 state Senate seats and all 80 seats in the Assembly.