California’s primary results are still undecided in the governor’s race, LA
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The results of California’s primary election remained undecided in several closely watched races Wednesday, including the presidential race and the Los Angeles mayoral race.
As of Thursday morning, Republican Steve Hilton is leading the governor’s race with about 28 percent of the vote. Behind him are the top two Democrats, former Biden chief Xavier Becerra with 25% and billionaire Tom Steyer with 20%.
Los Angeles is also too close to call, even though incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has secured a spot in the November election. His first challenger, Spencer Pratt, was in second place Wednesday morning, but more votes have yet to be counted.
Under California law, only the top two candidates in state primaries can advance to the general election in November, regardless of political party.
HILTON, BECERRA, LEADER OF VOTES COUNTED IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE.
Candidates spent the weekend making their final appeals to voters ahead of the Los Angeles mayoral primary. (Louise Barnsley for Fox News Digital)
Pratt received 30% of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with leftist candidate Nithya Raman trailing with 22%.
“This idea that I don’t represent Democrats and Republicans and independents — anyone who is a citizen of Los Angeles who wants a basic standard of living — I’ll be able to demonstrate that in five months,” Pratt said Wednesday night.
“I’m an Angeleno who said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and I had to stand up,” she said. “I will show everyone that I am their mayor.”
RNC FOOTBALL FOOTBALL BACK FOOTBALL CALIFORNIA MAIL RANKS AMONG NATIONAL FINANCES: ‘NO POWER’
Steve Hilton, California’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, speaks during an affordable town hall at the Hotel Zessa in Santa Ana on March 18, 2026. (Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
California has faced widespread criticism for its weak election system, with key races still to be decided days after the June 2 election.
“The fact that California’s election is often undecided for weeks is insane and unusual in other electoral systems around the world,” Nate Silver, a senior political data analyst, wrote on X Tuesday afternoon. “Like to be honest ‘it’s going to take us a few weeks to tell you who won the election’ is a country that didn’t win s— and should be deeply discriminated against. The fact that it’s tolerated is terrible and a textbook example of learned helplessness.”
California’s long ballot tally is a product of the state’s reliance on mail-in voting and its careful review process. Under California law, every registered voter receives a mail-in ballot and ballots that arrive at election offices up to one week after election day are considered valid as long as they are postmarked on election day.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass visited the Pacific Palisades downtown business district on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles as the Palisades Fire continues to burn amid strong Santa Ana winds. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
In tight primaries where a few votes decide the outcome, this process can leave voters without knowing who will advance for weeks. general election.
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“All other constituencies are able to count their votes at some point,” Attorney Kevin Kileyan independent who caucuses with the GOP, wrote about X. “California’s inability to properly manage a democracy is shameful. It also shows why our country has so many other problems.”
