Key takeaways:
- Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton led California’s undecided governor primary, with Democrat Tom Steyer in third place as ballots were still being counted.
- Iowa Democrats nominated Josh Turek for an open U.S. Senate seat against Republican Ashley Hinson, and Cook Political Report shifted the race to “lean Republican.”
- Deb Haaland won New Mexico’s Democratic governor primary and could become the first Native American woman elected governor in the United States.
California’s race for governor remained too close to call Wednesday, leaving voters waiting to see which two candidates will advance in a contest to lead the nation’s most populous state as Tuesday’s primaries also set major Senate, House and governor matchups across five other states.
Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton were leading the crowded California field, with Democrat Tom Steyer in third place as votes continued to be counted, NPR reported. Under California’s top-two primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party. Voters had 60 candidates for governor to choose from.
The winner in November will replace Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is barred from seeking a third term. Becerra, a former U.S. health secretary, member of Congress and California attorney general, presented himself as an experienced leader willing to challenge President Donald Trump. Speaking in Los Angeles, he embraced his late rise in the race.
“Here in Hollywood’s hometown, we love a good underdog success story,” Becerra said. “The underdog stayed in the fight.”
Hilton, a former Fox News commentator and former adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, was endorsed by Trump in April. He campaigned on a message that California needs a reset after 16 years of Democratic control.
“Change is coming to California and it’s long overdue,” Hilton told supporters in Huntington Beach. “We’re not there yet, but it’s looking good.”
Steyer, a billionaire Democratic activist, spent more than $213 million of his own money on his campaign, NPR reported. He told supporters in San Francisco he would wait for all ballots to be counted. “Together, we’ve scared the hell out of the corporate interests used to getting their way,” he said.
Elsewhere in California, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass led her primary but, with less than 50% of the vote, will face a November runoff, The Guardian reported. In San Francisco, state Sen. Scott Wiener advanced in the race to replace former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to Al Jazeera.
In Iowa, Democrats nominated state Rep. Josh Turek for an open U.S. Senate seat, setting up a November race against Republican Ashley Hinson, a former broadcaster who was endorsed by Trump and retiring Sen. Joni Ernst. Turek, a former Paralympian who uses a wheelchair, defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls in the Democratic primary. The Cook Political Report moved the race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican” after Turek’s win, The Guardian reported.
“I will be a real fighter for Iowans, the middle class and our working families,” Turek said after his victory. Al Jazeera reported that Hinson enters the race as the Republican favorite.
Iowa also produced a setback for Trump in the Republican primary for governor, where businessman Zach Lahn defeated Rep. Randy Feenstra despite Feenstra’s Trump endorsement. Lahn will face Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand in November.
In New Jersey, Democrats chose former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett to challenge Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in the 7th Congressional District, one of the most competitive House races in the country. Bennett has criticized Kean’s prolonged absence from Congress after he missed more than 100 House votes because of an undisclosed illness, Al Jazeera reported. Kean said on social media that he is “more energized than ever” and will “be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition” when he returns to work in “a matter of weeks,” according to The Guardian.
In New Mexico, former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland won the Democratic nomination for governor. If elected in November against Republican Greggory Hull, Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, would become the first Native American woman elected governor in the United States.
Montana voters nominated Democrat Alani Bankhead and Republican Kurt Alme for an open U.S. Senate seat, while South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley won the Republican nomination for the state’s lone U.S. House seat, Al Jazeera reported.
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