We will not be bought. We will not be bullied.
In the days following California's June 2026 primary, the state's two most watched races — governor and Los Angeles mayor — remained unresolved, held in suspension by the deliberate machinery of mail-in ballot verification. Xavier Becerra, once considered an unlikely frontrunner, emerged as the projected leader in the gubernatorial contest, while incumbent Karen Bass advanced in Los Angeles even as the race behind her tightened with each new count. California's top-two primary system, designed to broaden democratic participation, has once again revealed the tension between the public's appetite for immediate answers and democracy's quieter insistence on thoroughness.
- With the governor's race still unsettled days after Election Day, California's extended ballot-counting process has become as much a story as the candidates themselves.
- Xavier Becerra's projection to advance came as a surprise to many who had doubted his path, while Steve Hilton and Tom Steyer remain locked in a narrowing contest for the second spot.
- In Los Angeles, Spencer Pratt's early eight-point lead over Nithya Raman has been steadily consumed by incoming mail-in ballots, turning what seemed like a clear outcome into a genuine cliffhanger.
- President Trump and some Republicans have seized on the slow count to question California's election integrity, while state officials and Governor Newsom push back, defending the process as rigorous and lawful.
- With roughly 80 percent of California's votes cast by mail and ballots postmarked by Election Day still arriving, the final shape of November's matchups may not be known for days more.
California's June 2026 primary closed without resolution in its two most consequential races, leaving the state's political future in the hands of mail carriers and county tabulators. Under the top-two primary system, the leading vote-getters advance to November regardless of party — a structure that rewards patience over speed.
In the gubernatorial race, Xavier Becerra — former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and onetime state attorney general — was projected to advance after a campaign he had framed as an underdog effort. His momentum grew after fellow Democrat Eric Swalwell exited the race in April. Behind him, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Tom Steyer remained separated by roughly five points, with Hilton holding just over 26 percent and Steyer at 21. Hilton cast his early lead as a mandate for change; Steyer, who claimed major corporations had united against him, said he welcomed their opposition.
The Los Angeles mayoral contest proved even more volatile. Incumbent Karen Bass was projected to advance with about 35 percent of the vote, but the race for second place between political newcomer Spencer Pratt — who lost his Pacific Palisades home in the January 2025 fires — and City Council member Nithya Raman grew tighter by the hour. Pratt's initial eight-point advantage had shrunk to roughly three points by Friday afternoon, with 64 percent of ballots counted. Raman, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, framed her campaign as a challenge to entrenched power; Pratt leaned on his outsider identity and personal experience of the city's failures.
The drawn-out count reflects California's deep reliance on mail voting — nearly 13 million of 16 million ballots in 2024 were cast by mail — and a state law allowing postmarked ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day. Election officials defended the timeline as standard and necessary. President Trump questioned the process without evidence of wrongdoing, while Governor Newsom urged county officials to move quickly to counter what he called unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. The races remained unresolved, suspended between the story the early returns told and the quieter truth still being counted.
California's primary election on Tuesday night left its two most consequential races unresolved, forcing voters and political observers to wait days for clarity on who would face off in November. Under the state's top-two primary system, the two candidates receiving the most votes advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation—a structure that has made the counting process, which stretched well into Friday, a source of both procedural rigor and mounting frustration.
In the race to succeed term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom, Xavier Becerra, the former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and onetime California attorney general, secured a projection to advance by Friday. Becerra had mounted what he himself described as an underdog campaign, gaining significant ground after fellow Democrat Eric Swalwell exited the race in April following sexual misconduct allegations that Swalwell denied. The former HHS secretary's path to the top two had seemed uncertain through much of the primary season, but as mail-in ballots arrived and were processed, his support solidified. On social media, Becerra posted a message to Californians: "We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down."
The second spot remained contested between Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host who positioned himself as the change candidate, and Democrat Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmental activist. Hilton held a narrow lead with just over 26 percent of the vote as of Friday evening, while Steyer trailed at 21 percent. Hilton had framed his early success as a referendum on California's direction, telling supporters on election night that "change is coming to California." Steyer, meanwhile, had leveled criticism at major corporations—naming Chevron, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Meta—saying they had mobilized against him after he signaled he would tax them if elected. "They are unanimous in their hate for me and I welcome their hatred," Steyer said at his San Francisco watch party.
In Los Angeles, the mayoral race proved even tighter. Karen Bass, the incumbent mayor, was projected to advance with roughly 35 percent of the vote, but the battle for the second spot between Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman had narrowed dramatically as the count continued. Pratt, a former reality television star from "The Hills" who lost his Pacific Palisades home in the January 2025 fire, had entered the race as a political newcomer and vocal critic of Bass's handling of the disaster and the city's homelessness crisis. He held an initial lead of about eight percentage points over Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member and longtime Bass ally. But as mail-in ballots arrived on Thursday and Friday, Pratt's advantage eroded. By Friday afternoon, with 64 percent of the vote counted, Pratt held just over 28 percent to Raman's nearly 25 percent—a gap that continued to narrow with each new batch of results.
Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, had framed her campaign as a challenge to powerful interests she said had long controlled city hall. "A vision where government actually functions and delivers every day on this city's beautiful, big-hearted values," she told supporters at her watch party. She acknowledged that her vision "threatens some very powerful forces"—corporate landlords, city hall insiders, and corporations that had spent millions opposing her campaign. Pratt, by contrast, had leaned into his outsider status, telling supporters he was ready to show that a non-politician could serve the city. "I'm an Angeleno who said, 'Enough is enough,'" he said.
The extended vote count reflected California's commitment to mail-in voting, a system that has become the state's dominant method of casting ballots. According to the California Secretary of State, roughly 13 million of the approximately 16 million votes cast in the 2024 presidential election were mail-in ballots. State law allows ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted if received within seven days, a provision that stretched the counting process well past election night. Christian Grose, a USC political science professor, explained the dynamic: "The reason a lot of the ballots haven't been counted yet is because they were dropped in the mail Monday or Tuesday, and as long as they're postmarked by Tuesday, they get to be counted." Counties were releasing updated tallies daily, with Los Angeles County providing updates around 4 p.m. Pacific Time each day.
The slow count had drawn criticism from some Republicans, including President Trump, who questioned the state's election process without providing evidence of wrongdoing. Election officials defended the timeline, noting that every ballot underwent the same verification procedures regardless of when it arrived. Governor Newsom had sent an open letter to county election officials urging them to speed up the process to counter unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about election security. The races would remain in flux until the final ballots were tallied, leaving California's political future suspended between the early returns that had shaped the initial narrative and the mail-in votes still being processed.
Notable Quotes
The reason a lot of the ballots haven't been counted yet is because they were dropped in the mail Monday or Tuesday, and as long as they're postmarked by Tuesday, they get to be counted.— Christian Grose, USC Professor of Political Science
A vision where government actually functions and delivers every day on this city's beautiful, big-hearted values. A vision where our neighborhoods are safe, where they're full of trees, and shade, and alive with activity.— Nithya Raman, Los Angeles mayoral candidate
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does California's vote count take so much longer than other states?
It's fundamentally about how many people vote by mail. We're talking 13 million mail-in ballots in a single election. The state allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive up to a week later and still be counted. That's a deliberate choice—it expands access—but it means you're waiting for the postal service to deliver ballots that were mailed at the last minute.
So the delay isn't incompetence, it's design?
Exactly. Every ballot gets the same verification process, whether it arrives Tuesday night or Friday morning. Election officials say that's the price of ensuring every vote counts. But it also means that in a tight race like the LA mayor's contest, the outcome can shift dramatically as new batches come in.
Spencer Pratt's lead collapsed. What happened there?
His early strength came from election-night voters—people who showed up at the polls. But as mail-in ballots arrived, the composition of the electorate changed. Nithya Raman's supporters appear to have voted by mail at higher rates. By Friday, Pratt's eight-point lead had shrunk to just over three points. It's a reminder that early returns can be misleading.
And in the governor's race, Becerra seemed like an underdog until Swalwell dropped out?
Swalwell's exit in April opened space for another Democrat. Becerra had been running third or fourth for months. But as voters consolidated around him, he climbed. By Friday, he'd secured a spot in November. The question now is whether Hilton or Steyer will be his opponent.
What does Steyer's comment about corporate hatred tell us?
He's signaling that he's willing to take on entrenched interests—that their opposition validates his candidacy. It's a way of turning a weakness into a strength. If the corporations are against you, you must be the real change candidate.
Is there a chance the final results surprise everyone?
Absolutely. We're still counting. In the LA race, Raman could overtake Pratt entirely. In the governor's race, Steyer could close the gap on Hilton. The mail-in ballots arriving Friday and Saturday could shift everything.