Late-counted ballots have kept California’s governor’s race unsettled, and Xavier Becerra’s advance shows how mail voting can shape outcomes long after election night.
Quick Take
- Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra were the top two candidates in California’s governor’s primary as ballots were still being counted.[2][3]
- California’s top-two primary system sends only the first- and second-place finishers to the November election.[2][3]
- The race remained too close to call, and the Associated Press had not called it while outstanding ballots were still being tabulated.[2][3]
- Reporting showed tens of thousands of ballots still to be counted, which kept the contest open even after election night.[2]
How Becerra Stayed in the Top Two
ABC7 News reported that the California governor’s race remained too close to call, with Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra holding the top two positions while ballots continued to be counted.[2] CalMatters said those top two spots were the only ones needed to move on to the November general election under California’s system.[3] That means Becerra did not need to win outright on election night; he needed to stay inside the top two as the count progressed.[2][3]
That distinction matters because California routinely counts a large share of mail and late-arriving ballots after polls close, especially in closely contested races.[2][3] In this case, ABC7 News said tens of thousands of ballots were still outstanding, and CalMatters noted that the Associated Press had not called the race.[2][3] The available reporting supports a straightforward reading: Becerra’s position depended on the ordinary canvass process, not on a sudden change in rules or a completed final tally.[2][3]
Why the Timing Drew Attention
Late-counted ballots often create distrust when early returns point one way and later updates shift the standings. That friction is not unique to California, but the state’s top-two primary makes the stakes sharper because a candidate can advance without a majority and without a final election-night result.[2][3] Here, the central issue was not whether ballots should be counted, but whether observers were interpreting a still-open race as if it were already finished.[2][3]
ABC7 News said the race was still in “wait-and-see mode,” and the coverage described Tom Steyer as still technically viable while the count continued.[2] That uncertainty is important because it undercuts confident claims that any one candidate had been locked into second place before the canvass ended.[2] It also shows why election-night narratives can fuel suspicion on both sides, especially when the public sees the standings change after the first batch of results.[2][3]
What the Result Says About California Politics
The race reflects a broader political pattern in California: a large electorate, heavy mail voting, and a primary structure that can leave the final order unclear for days.[2][3] For voters frustrated with government performance, the spectacle is familiar—counting drags on, elites and campaigns argue over momentum, and ordinary voters are left waiting for a result that should have been obvious sooner.[2][3] The reporting does not show irregularity, but it does show how a slow count can feed skepticism about the process.[2][3]
At the same time, the sources available here support a narrower conclusion than the online chatter suggests: Becerra’s advancement was tied to being among the top two finishers while ballots were still being counted.[2][3] CalMatters reported that the Associated Press had not called the race, and ABC7 News emphasized that the outcome still hinged on remaining ballots.[2][3] In other words, the story is less about a sudden political upset than about how California’s election system turns unfinished counts into public controversy.[2][3]
They’re seriously calling Xavier Becerra one of the two winners in the California governor primary election who is in SECOND place, meanwhile Steve Hilton is leading the race!
I hope @SteveHiltonx is watching this. https://t.co/UEtmLouXq4
— Angry American (@Angry_American0) June 5, 2026
Sources:
[2] Web – Governor of California race: Live election results and … – abc7NY
[3] YouTube – Amid undecided California primary election results, Steve Hilton …
