Topline
Hotly contested mayoral and gubernatorial primary races in California were too close to call nearly 12 hours after polls closed Wednesday—with only incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as a clear winner.
Los Angeles Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt is seen speaking with the media outside Don Antonio’s restaurant on June 02, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
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Key Facts
Bass, a Democrat, secured 35% of votes, with 63% of votes counted as of Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET, securing her spot in a runoff.
Republican Spencer Pratt was in second with 30% and Democratic LA City Council member Nithya Raman was behind him with 22%.
In the gubernatorial race, Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton led the pack with 28%, followed by Democrat Xavier Becerra with 25%, billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer with 19% and Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco with 11%.
As of 10 a.m. ET, 58% of votes were counted in the gubernatorial contest.
California typically takes days to count votes in competitive elections thanks to the state’s large population and universal mail-in voting system that allows ballots to be counted up to seven days after Election Day as long as they’re postmarked on or before it.
Tangent
California runs open primaries, meaning the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to a runoff if no candidate wins more than 50%.
Key Background
Candidates in the gubernatorial primary are vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited. Becerra, former Health and Human Services Secretary under former President Joe Biden, was his party’s front-runner in polls over Steyer, who contributed more than $200 million to his own campaign. Steyer also ran for president in 2020 and spent $340 million of his own money on his campaign. Becerra made a come-back in polls after surveys in April showed him with support in the single digits. Hilton is a British American former Fox News contributor who also worked in former UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s administration. In the mayoral race, former MTV reality star Pratt’s unlikely rise has made the contest one of national significance. He has built his campaign on anger surrounding the city’s response to the Los Angeles wildfires last year after losing his Palisades home.
Further Reading
California Primary Election Results (New York Times)
Election Live Updates: Races Are Close in California With Many Votes Still to Count (New York Times)
Takeaways from the primary elections in California, Iowa and elsewhere (CNN)
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