California just voted — and the governor's race is shaping up as a matchup nobody fully predicted: Steve Hilton, former Fox News host and Trump-endorsed candidate, leading with roughly 28% in early returns, and Xavier Becerra, Biden's HHS secretary, holding second at around 25%. With ballots still being counted through June 9, the second-place slot isn't fully locked — but the likely November choice for California's next governor is coming into focus.
This week Phil and Camille break down three stories from Tuesday's primary. On the governor's race: how a field of 60 candidates produced these two as the probable finalists, what Hilton and Becerra each actually stand for, and what a Republican governor in California — something the state hasn't seen since 2006 — would actually mean. On Los Angeles: Karen Bass advanced to the November runoff, but she got 35% of the vote in a city she currently runs, with Spencer Pratt five points behind her. Whatever happens when the second-place count finalizes, a majority of LA voters wanted someone else. And in San Diego: CA-48 was one of five congressional seats Gavin Newsom redrew under Prop 50 specifically for Democrats to win. The Republican candidate just dominated the primary in a district that now has a 10-point Democratic registration advantage. The Prop 50 promise is getting its first real test — and the early returns aren't encouraging.
No spin. No teams. Just what the numbers actually show.
New episodes every Tuesday at 8PM PST, live on YouTube.
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Phil is also writing The Gilded State — a book on California's broken political machine. Early signups at www.thegildedstate.com.