Democrat Xavier Becerra poised to win California governors race

Democrat Xavier Becerra went from an afterthought in the polls earlier this spring to California’s new governor on Tuesday, beating Republican Steve Hilton despite running a campaign offering little in inspiration for the state.Associated Press declared Becerra the winner just after polls closed at 8 pm without counting any votes.“The AP will only declare a winner at poll closing time in races not expected to be competitive when all available evidence points to an overwhelming victory,” the news agency announced.Becerra, who was seen as a heavy favorite in recent polling, will succeed Gov.

Gavin Newsom after being sworn into office in January.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story Two months before the June primary, Becerra was in sixth place and struggling to get on a debate stage.A former California attorney general, congressman and Biden health secretary, his lengthy résumé spanning Sacramento and Washington was seen as impressive but uninspiring.But his position as a safe, if bland, choice became a strength after the Democratic frontrunner in the primary — disgraced ex-congressman Eric Swalwell — saw his campaign for California governor implode when several women publicly accused him of sexual assault.Once Swalwell dropped out, Becerra turned the fight for Democratic voters into a head-to-head contest with billionaire Tom Steyer, who dropped a recored $200 million-plus on the race.

Becerra’s rise came without a splashy policy rollout or a wholesale reinvention of his campaign, helping Democrats avoid an embarrassing scenario in which Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco threatened to make the November runoff a race between two Republicans.“He’s really the California comeback kid,” Democratic political consultant Steve Maviglio tol...