Xavier Becerra, former President Joe Biden’s health and human services secretary, defeated Republican Steve Hilton on Tuesday to become California’s first elected Latino governor.
The Associated Press called the race for Becerra at 11:01 p.m. Eastern, just a minute after polls closed in the Golden State.
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Becerra, 68, will succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who was barred by term limits from running again and is widely considered a front-runner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. When he takes office, Becerra will lead the country’s most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.
Hilton, 57, a former Fox News host and adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, sought to capitalize on voter frustration over California’s high cost of living, housing affordability, and economic inequality. He cast Becerra as a career politician and argued that decades of Democratic control had failed to address the state’s mounting problems.
Born and raised in Sacramento to Mexican immigrant parents, Becerra brings decades of experience in California and national politics. He served in the state Assembly, represented Los Angeles in Congress for nearly 25 years, served as California attorney general, and later joined Biden’s Cabinet. He and his wife have three daughters.
Throughout the campaign, Becerra sought to nationalize the contest, portraying Hilton as an ally of President Donald Trump and warning voters that a Republican victory would bring Trump-aligned policies to California.
Becerra’s path to the governorship was far from certain. Less than two months before the primary, Becerra was polling in the single digits. His campaign gained momentum after the gubernatorial bid of former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell collapsed amid allegations of sexual misconduct and assault, reshaping the race and creating an opening for Becerra. Becerra pitched himself as the grown-up in the room, someone who came from an older school of politics focused on steady governance.
Hilton’s challenge was also uphill. Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two to one in California, and no Republican has won the governorship since 2006. But Hilton, who had traveled to nearly every corner of the Golden State, argued that the affordability crisis offered Republicans a chance to break through California’s deep-blue political identity by campaigning statewide and courting independent voters.
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The contest tested whether dissatisfaction with California’s cost of living could overcome the state’s entrenched Democratic advantage and whether Becerra could consolidate the party’s support after a turbulent primary.
Gov. Romualdo Pacheco, a Latino, served as the state’s 12th governor. Pacheco, a Republican, had been elected lieutenant governor but stepped into the governor’s role after Gov. Newton Booth resigned to join the U.S. Senate. Pacheco was governor from Feb. 27, 1875, to Dec. 9, 1875.