'We are heading to Sacramento': California Gov. race too close to call

California's crowded 2026 gubernatorial race captivated the nation as the state's jungle primary system left many wondering which candidates would appear on the November ballot — a question many are still asking the morning after the primary.

As of the morning of June 3rd, the California gubernatorial election was still too close to call, even as Democratic candidate and climate advocate Tom Steyer continued to fall further behind the two leading candidates, Republican Steve Hilton, a Fox News contributor and small business owner, and Democrat Xavier Becerra, the former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

As the California Secretary of State's office continues to receive and count late-arriving mail and drop-off ballots, major news outlets have opted not to call the race due to how much these late votes can shift the race days after primary night.

Unlike other states, California has an open primary, which advances the top two candidates to the November General election ballot.

Going into California's primary night, people questioned whether Republican candidates could be locked out of this year's November elections, but as the night went on, that outcome appeared less likely as Steyer fell further behind the two leading candidates.

As of Wednesday morning, the California Secretary of State's office reports that Hilton has received over 1.38 million votes, Becerra over 1.26 million, and Steyer over 979,000.

Regardless, both Hilton's and Becerra's campaigns took a victory lap late on the primary night.

Notably, Hilton's success highlights Californians' desire for change as the state faces a housing and affordability crisis that became a focal point of this year's gubernatorial campaigns.

"It does look like change really is coming to California," Hilton said in a social media post on June 3rd. "If anyone is going to pull this state around, that is the plan. Change is coming; we are heading to Sacramento."

During his late night primary speech, Hilton highlighted that his campaign started up as a "a handful of rebels," believing that California had "gone off track" and that his leadership would put "it back on track."

"I see it in your eyes, the struggle. The struggle of running a small business. The struggle for working-class people in California," Hilton said during his speech. "Young people who don't see their future in California anymore and they think they have to move to another to have that dream of owning their own home."

On the other hand, Becerra, who had been leading polls up until primary night, ultimately fell short of expectations, receiving the second most votes out of the over 60 candidates.

Regardless of his performance, Becerra didn't let that bog him down as he celebrated his potential victory in a late speech to energizer voters on primary night.

"The California dream — it’s alive tonight," Becerra said during a speech. "Tonight the people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken. Loudly and proudly."

"And while I take nothing for granted – there are lots of ballots left to count – it appears we are on track to advance to November," he added.

However, Steyer announced that he would not end his campaign, opting instead to wait until the Secretary of State finished receiving ballots.

"We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted," Steyer said during his campaign party in San Francisco. "We’re going to give democracy time to work."

Things didn't look good for the other major Republican candidate, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who was seen as a strong contender for the governorship in early polling results. As of Wednesday morning, Bianco's campaign had fallen significantly behind, with 566,679 votes. Similar to Steyer, Bianco's campaign did not concede, opting to wait for more ballots to be counted.

On primary night, Democratic candidates San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former U.S. Representative Katie Porter, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced they were dropping out of the race. All three candidates had received less than 5% of the state's votes in unofficial returns.

"While this campaign for governor ends tonight, our mission has only begun," Mahan's campaign said on X. "We’ve proven that a better California is possible. Because we’re doing it right here in San Jose."

Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at [email protected], follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.