Politics

A Former Fox News Host Is Leading the California Governor’s Race With 55% Counted

By Mike Harper · June 4, 2026

The California governor’s race is not yet called. What is clear, with 55% of the expected vote counted as of Thursday morning, is that Steve Hilton is in first place.

Hilton, a former Fox News host and one-time adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, is leading with 28% of the vote. Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra holds second at 25%. Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer sits at 20%. In California’s top-two jungle primary, the candidates finishing in first and second place — regardless of party — advance to the November general election. Everything beyond that is still being determined.

Trump, who endorsed Hilton and posted on Truth Social before results were even fully in, declared the outcome settled on his own timeline.

“Congratulations to Steve Hilton on coming in first, last night, in the California Vote for Governor. If Californians are smart, which I know they are, they will put Steve into the Governor’s Mansion, and watch their State get better at a rate that has probably never been seen before.”

He also accused Democrats — without evidence — of trying to “steal” the election by slowing mail-in ballot counting. California counties are legally permitted to count mail-in ballots for up to 28 days after election day, a process that is identical to every prior California election cycle.

Hilton told reporters he is “confident” he will be in the top two. He said he had received a message of congratulations from Trump but hadn’t spoken to him directly yet.

The race’s significance extends well beyond California’s borders. California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger won his second term in 2006 — nearly 20 years ago. If Hilton advances to November and wins a general election in a state where Kamala Harris won the 2024 presidential vote by 70%, it would represent one of the most significant political upsets in modern American electoral history. Republicans would gain the governorship of the world’s fourth-largest economy.

That scenario requires Hilton to first confirm his top-two finish — which the current numbers suggest but the remaining 45% of ballots have not yet confirmed — and then defeat either Becerra or Steyer in November, in a state with 47% registered Democrats versus 24% registered Republicans.

The third-place question matters enormously. If Steyer overtakes Becerra, Democrats face a November matchup between a progressive billionaire with no government experience and a Trump-backed Republican in one of the most left-leaning states in the country. If Becerra holds second, Democrats get their most credentialed candidate — a former congressman, state attorney general, and Biden cabinet secretary — in the general election.

The count continues. California is expected to have a clearer picture by the weekend.