Xavier Becerra will advance to the general election in California’s gubernatorial race.
Becerra was barely leading the field when the Associated Press reported Friday he would go on to the general election. In second place with roughly 67% of the votes counted was former Fox News host Steve Hilton, trailed by billionaire businessman Tom Steyer.
The top two vote-getters will move on to the November general election.
Becerra previously served as the Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden, was California attorney general from 2017 to 2021 and was a member of Congress for more than 20 years. He made a late-in-the-race surge in polling at 25% in late May, after coming in at 5% in early March.
The race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom became wide open after former Vice President and California Sen. Kamala Harris and the state’s senior senator, Alex Padilla, chose not to run. The race was further shaken when some candidates who were gaining popularity became embroiled in scandals. Former Rep. Eric Swalwell, viewed as a potential front-runner, dropped out after facing sexual misconduct allegations, while former Rep. Katie Porter came under scrutiny over allegations that she bullied staffers.