Xavier Becerra Defeats Steve Hilton In Landslide Race For California Governor

Xavier Becerra will succeed Gavin Newsom to become California governor, the state's first elected Latino governor in 150 years, capping an unlikely campaign for the longtime politician who has largely stayed out of the spotlight.

Xavier Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton by a wide margin Tuesday, securing roughly 65% of the vote to Hilton’s 34%, with nearly half the ballots counted. On Wednesday, the Associated Press called the race for Becerra, who will become California’s first elected Latino governor in 150 years.

Becerra acknowledged the milestone Tuesday night by crediting his Mexican immigrant parents, who arrived in the state with just $12 before working their way toward homeownership.

“A construction worker and a clerical worker earned every dollar, saved every penny,” he said, per CalMatters. “I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference … for the next construction worker and clerical worker who want to buy their own home.”

Hilton conceded about an hour after polls closed, telling supporters in Orange County, “Change may be delayed, but change is coming.”

Becerra's path to the governor's office was hardly assured. For much of the early campaign, the former California attorney general and US health secretary struggled to gain traction, polling so poorly eight months ago that he was being urged to drop out, according to CalMatters. He later described his campaign at the time as “an afterthought, maybe even a punchline.”

The race shifted dramatically after former Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell, who had been considered a front-runner, dropped out and resigned from Congress following allegations that he sexually assaulted several women, as SFist reported at the time. Swalwell has denied the accusations. His departure left Democratic voters and party leaders looking for another candidate, and Becerra emerged as a viable alternative.

Becerra, who has spent more than 35 years in state and federal government, including 24 years in Congress representing the Los Angeles area, made his experience a central part of his campaign. Hilton, a former Fox News host and adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, had never held elected office.

The candidates also offered sharply different approaches to California's economic problems. Per the AP, Hilton campaigned on an aggressive cost-cutting platform that included tax reductions, deregulation, canceling the high-speed rail project, eliminating the Department of Motor Vehicles, and ending the state's climate goals. He also promised to bring gas prices down to $3 a gallon, a level California hasn't seen in years.

CalMatters reports that Hilton raised more than $33 million to Becerra's $38 million and tried to portray his opponent as a representative of the political establishment and special interests, particularly organized labor, while Becerra highlighted Hilton’s ties to Trump.

Becerra, meanwhile, avoided sweeping campaign promises, instead emphasizing his experience and his commitment to working families. He reportedly supported continuing Newsom-era housing reforms intended to speed up construction and generally backed the state's transition to clean energy, while saying he would also look for ways to reduce gas prices.

His Latino heritage was another important part of his campaign. Born in Sacramento to a Mexican-born mother and a father who was born in California but raised in Mexico, Becerra frequently spoke about his immigrant family's experience, as the AP reports.

“I’m running to be what the haters fear most: a proud son of immigrants with a law degree and a union card governing America’s most diverse and successful state,” Becerra said at a campaign rally.

He also positioned himself as someone prepared to challenge President Donald Trump, criticizing the federal government's immigration crackdown and its efforts to interfere with California's environmental policies, while promising to defend immigrant communities, LGBTQ rights, and access to health care, per CalMatters.

In his election night speech near Sacramento, Becerra struck a similar tone, telling supporters, “If anyone wants to come after California or any one Californian, they better be ready for a fight.”

Despite those differences in emphasis, Becerra is unlikely to take California in a dramatically different policy direction from outgoing Governor Gavin Newsom. Both are Democrats who support many of the same housing, environmental, and mental health initiatives. Their approaches to governing, however, could look quite different.

Becerra is also expected to bring a different governing style to the job than Newsom, despite their alignment on many policies, as the Chronicle notes. While Newsom has built his reputation on ambitious public promises and high-profile political fights, Becerra has taken a more methodical approach, often avoiding firm commitments until he knows what he can deliver.

Unlike Newsom, who has cultivated a high-profile public persona, Becerra has generally kept a lower profile throughout his career, preferring to focus on policy and behind-the-scenes work rather than seeking the spotlight.

The two also come from different political backgrounds. Newsom rose through executive roles as San Francisco mayor and lieutenant governor before becoming governor, while Becerra spent 24 years in Congress before serving as California attorney general and US health secretary.

“They may say the same things. They may be championing the same ideas,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas told the Chronicle. “But the way that they have governed throughout their careers is very different.”

Becerra has also reportedly been more cautious about taking positions on contentious issues, including expanding involuntary mental health treatment and further changes to the death penalty. He has said he would maintain Newsom's moratorium on executions.

When he takes office in January, Becerra will face housing affordability, homelessness, wildfire-related insurance challenges, and a state budget increasingly dependent on the AI industry, along with continued battles with the Trump administration over immigration, federal funding, and environmental policy.

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