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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — President Donald Trump, California’s notoriously high cost of living and political experience are on the ballot as voters decide Tuesday whether to elect Democrat Xavier Becerra or Republican Steve Hilton as the next governor of the nation’s most populous state.
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The winner will succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can’t seek a third term but is considering a White House run.
Becerra, a former state attorney general, has promised to reaffirm California’s status as a liberal counterweight to the Trump administration’s Republican policies. Hilton, a former political adviser in the United Kingdom and Fox News host, has pitched himself as a fresh face ready to set the state back on track after 15 years of Democratic leadership.
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Hilton faces steep odds. Democrats make up roughly 45% of registered voters in California, compared to Republicans’ 25%.
Mail voting has been underway for nearly a month. The Trump administration has sought to sow distrust in the state’s election system by alleging up to 20,000 noncitizens could be registered to vote. The Department of Justice has sued the state in an attempt to stop officials from counting any ballots cast by those people. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s demand on Monday after several lower courts also sided with California.
State and local election officials say they follow federal law and the federal government’s numbers are likely inflated. Election experts say voting by noncitizens is rare and has not been shown to change the outcome of elections.
Candidates argue over the value of experience
Becerra, who also served in Congress and as U.S. health secretary in President Joe Biden’s administration, has argued that he’s best positioned for the job as someone with more than 35 years of experience in politics and government. Hilton has never held elected office.
Becerra said at a CNN debate in September that the state needed a leader who could keep the “California dream” alive.
“You can’t do it with someone who’s never served, who’s never balanced a budget the size of California, who’s never actually been there to defend people against the tyrant like Donald Trump,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hilton has tried to turn his lack of political experience into an asset, arguing the more experienced Democrats who have been in charge have left Californians struggling to afford gas, housing and a college degree.
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“This is the most amazing state and the most amazing country on Earth, and it’s because we’ve got this rebel spirit,” he said at the debate. “That spirit is being crushed by this bloated, nanny-state bureaucratic government that Xavier has been a part of for 36 years.”
A chaotic primary gave way to a low-key general election matchup
The two candidates emerged from a large primary field with half a dozen prominent Democrats and two notable Republicans.
Becerra wasn’t considered a top contender for the first months of his campaign. That changed when former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who had been viewed as a front-runner, dropped out of the race and resigned from Congress following allegations he sexually assaulted several women. He’s denied the accusations. His departure caused the party establishment and voters to look for a more reliable alternative, and they found one in Becerra.
Since then, Becerra has run a relatively low-key campaign, not holding nearly as many public events or press availabilities as Hilton. He’s sought to take advantage of Trump’s deep unpopularity in the state by tying Hilton to Trump, noting the president has endorsed the Republican. Becerra’s campaign launched a website that lists quotes of Hilton expressing support for the president and his policies. The site includes illustrations of the two Republicans standing side by side.
Hilton, meanwhile, has tried to break through by releasing splashy ads, sometimes with AI-generated content, to encourage voters who typically choose Democrats to try something new. He’s also tried to appeal to the public by making ambitious promises, including pledging to abolish the DMV and cut gas prices to $3 a gallon, a rate the state hasn’t seen in years.
His promise to bring change as a Republican candidate running in California has resonated with some voters.
Richard Hartman, an independent voter living outside Sacramento who works in the construction industry, said he was leaning toward voting for Hilton to bring balance to the Democrat-dominated state. He’s particularly concerned about homelessness and the high cost of living.
“Nothing works without balance,” he said. “You can’t stand on one leg and walk around. You have to have two feet, and I think that’s the same thing in politics.”
Both candidates highlight their families’ immigrant stories
For all their differences, Becerra and Hilton share at least one thing in common: Both come from immigrant backgrounds.
Hilton’s parents fled communism in Hungary and settled in the United Kingdom, where Hilton was born. Hilton went on to advise former Prime Minister David Cameron before moving to California in 2012. If he wins, he would be the first immigrant to serve as governor since Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011.
Becerra was born in Sacramento to a mother from Mexico and a father who was born in California and raised in Mexico. He’s made appealing to Latino voters a key part of his campaign strategy, including by releasing ads and social media posts in Spanish. He’d be the state’s first Latino governor since the late 19th century.
His background has appealed to some Californians with Mexican heritage, including Joy Torrez, a Democratic retiree in Sacramento. She proudly planned to vote for him.
“I’ve read about him, and I’m really pleased,” Torrez said.
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