California’s gubernatorial race has narrowed from an initial field of 61 candidates to just three major contenders, according to the latest polling data: former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D), climate advocate and businessman Tom Steyer (D), and former Fox News host and small-business owner Steve Hilton (R).
In a recent move, Steve Hilton urged Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to withdraw from the race, while Bianco called on Hilton supporters to vote for him.
The state’s primary operates on a nonpartisan basis, allowing the top two candidates regardless of party affiliation to advance. This setup had previously raised concerns that the Democratic Party’s failure to coalesce behind a single candidate could result in two Republicans — Hilton and Bianco — advancing to the November general election.
With the primary one month away, polling shows 26% of voters remain undecided, with support split among the Democratic candidates. However, recent polls conducted in the final days before the primary indicate a significant decrease in undecided voters, an increase in support for Becerra, and a close contest between Steyer and Hilton. Bianco has fallen behind in these surveys, with an Emerson College poll from May 27-28 showing 28% of likely voters planning to vote for Becerra, 22% for Steyer, 21% for Hilton, and only 12% for Bianco.
A candidate warned that “If we don’t get together as a party, if we don’t unite, then we could have Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra in the general election.”
