Republican Steve Hilton has won one of the two tickets to the November California gubernatorial election in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov.Gavin Newsom in steering the nation's most populous state and the world's fourth-largest economy.Hilton, a one-time British political strategist turned American conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by President Donald Trump, will advance to the general election, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.Democrat-dominated California holds what's known as a jungle primary in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUBFormer Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, speaks during a roundtable discussion with representatives from Child Guidance Center in Santa Ana on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
(Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)The big question is who Hilton will face in November.His top two rivals heading into primary day were Xavier Becerra, a former California attorney general who later served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden's administration and would make history as California's first Latino governor in modern history, and Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist who unsuccessfully ran for his party's 2020 presidential nomination and who has shelled out over $200 million of his own money in his bid for governor.Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, as well as Democratic candidates former Democratic Rep.Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, were among the whopping 61 candidates on the ballot.Hilton is hoping to become the first California Republican to win a gubern...