California Governor Race 2026: Becerra vs. Hilton

California is an open seat with Gov. Gavin Newsom term-limited, and the succession looks set to stay in Democratic hands. Xavier Becerra (D) was U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary under Biden, California attorney general, and a 24-year congressman; he finished first in the top-two primary. Steve Hilton (R), a former adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron who hosted a Fox News show from 2017 to 2023, carries Trump’s endorsement. Becerra’s campaign leans on his experience and his “Tio Xavier” Mexican American roots, and he casts himself as a defender of voting access. At their only debate, on CNN, Hilton pitched eliminating state income tax on the first $150,000 earned, capping government fees on new homes at $50,000, and building “10 new cities”; Becerra said the plan would hand the wealthiest a large tax cut, promised to keep Wall Street investors from outbidding Californians for homes, and called for protecting workers from AI job losses. Both oppose Proposition 40, the one-time billionaire tax on the same ballot.