Steyer and Hilton scrap for second top spot in tight Tuesday governor's race primary
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As Californians dawdle about casting ballots before Tuesday’s primary, the leading candidates hoping to succeed Gov.Gavin Newsom crisscrossed the state making their closing arguments to voters.With former Biden Cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra surging in recent polls, the two candidates battling to win the second spot in this week’s primary and advance to the November election highlighted the strategic reasons why they believe voters ought to support them.Republican Steve Hilton — a former conservative commentator who rocketed past his main GOP rival, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, after President Trump endorsed him in April — urged voters to back him to avoid the possibility of two Democrats facing off in November.“I want us to fight like we are third.
We aren’t going to let this slip away,” Hilton told a few hundred people at the Santa Monica Hilton Hotel & Suites on Sunday morning.The former British political strategist once led the polls, but has slipped slightly behind Becerra.Not too far behind Hilton is billionaire hedge fund founder turned climate change activist Tom Steyer, a Democrat.
California On the cusp of California’s gubernatorial primary, voters are closely split among three candidates to succeed Gov.Gavin Newsom, according to a new poll.During his hour and a half appearance, Hilton veered between his oft-repeated criticisms about 16 years of Democrat-led rule in California to jabs at the top Democrats in the race.Steyer’s nonstop advertising blitz is “one reason alone to defeat him,” while Becerra is the “living embodiment of more of the same.”“Our secret weapon? The Democrat candidates,” Hilton said to chuckles.Asked why voters shouldn’t back Bianco, Hilton said it was simple math.
Only the first- and second-place finishers in the June 2 primary will advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.�...