Former Biden cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Democrat Xavier Becerra won California’s gubernatorial election on Tuesday, defeating Republican candidate Steve Hilton to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to an NBC News projection.
Becerra, 68, served as President Joe Biden’s health and human services secretary from 2021 to 2025 and previously held office as California’s attorney general and a 12-term member of the U.S. House. His victory keeps the state’s highest office under Democratic leadership, Fox News reported. California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger won in 2006, and a Republican has not occupied the governor’s mansion since Schwarzenegger left office in January 2011.
Why the race matters
The victory makes Becerra the first Latino governor of California since Romualdo Pacheco held the post more than 150 years ago, CBS News reported. Becerra was born in Sacramento to a mother from Mexico and a father who was born in California and raised in Mexico. He campaigned actively for Latino support, releasing social media posts and advertisements in Spanish.
Becerra’s win also ensures California will remain an adversary to the White House during the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term, PBS NewsHour reported. During his campaign, Becerra highlighted his past tenure as state attorney general, pointing to 122 lawsuits he filed against the first Trump administration. He pledged to protect state policies on immigration, voting rights, clean energy and access to healthcare, including transgender medical care.
How the contest developed
Becerra was not viewed as the primary front-runner early in the campaign. The race shifted in April when former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out and resigned from Congress following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, which Swalwell denied.
In the June nonpartisan primary, Becerra finished first with roughly 28% of the vote among more than 9.4 million ballots cast. Hilton, an immigrant from the United Kingdom who became a U.S. citizen in 2021, took second with about 25%, narrowly defeating progressive billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, who took about 23%.
Hilton, who had never held elected office, previously worked as an adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron and as a Fox News host. Trump endorsed Hilton in April. Hilton campaigned as a change candidate, arguing that years of Democratic control caused California’s high cost of living and homelessness issues. “This is what you get with one-party rule,” Hilton said at a news conference before Election Day.
Competing plans for California
The general election campaign centered on California’s living costs, housing supply, homelessness, energy prices and tax policy.
Hilton proposed eliminating state income taxes on earnings up to $150,000, repealing the state gas tax, capping fees on new developments, incorporating 10 new cities, and rolling back environmental rules to reduce electricity and fuel costs. He also outlined plans to eliminate homeless encampments by the end of 2027, establish Homeless Recovery Centers, and end California’s sanctuary state law, SB 54, to allow full cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Becerra proposed using state enforcement and programs rather than sweeping tax and spending cuts. He pledged to speed up home construction, enforce housing requirements on municipal governments, protect buyers from being outbid by investment firms, and expand down payment support. During a September debate, Becerra criticized Hilton’s tax cuts, arguing they would “make it harder for working families.” Becerra also defended California’s clean energy transition, backed Medi-Cal expansion, pledged to uphold the state’s sanctuary law, and called for mental health programs to prevent homelessness.
What happens next
Becerra will be sworn in as California’s 41st governor in January 2027.
He will lead a state facing projected budget deficits along with long-standing housing and energy challenges. Newsom, who could not run for a third term under state term limits, departs the governor’s office as speculation continues regarding a potential presidential campaign in 2028.
