California’s November gubernatorial race will be a battle between a Democrat promising to strengthen the state’s status as a bastion of liberal policies and a Republican candidate promising to change the course of America’s most populous state.
Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News commentator backed by President Donald Trump, has secured enough votes to advance to the general election, the Associated Press determined Tuesday. He will face Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former attorney general and health secretary under President Joe Biden.
The winner will succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to lead the state, which is home to about 39 million people, Hollywood, a growing technology industry and a large agricultural region that helps feed the nation. By itself, California represents one of the largest economies in the world at $4.25 trillion.
Newsom, one of his party’s main opponents of the Trump administration, was widely seen as a candidate for the presidency himself in 2028.
The next governor will have to address stubborn issues including the high cost of living, housing shortages and homelessness.
Hilton is banking his campaign on voters being frustrated enough to do something they haven’t done in two decades: elect a Republican statewide office. The last time that happened was when Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger won a second term in 2006. Hilton campaigned as an outsider who would bring change after more than 15 years of one-party rule.
