In brief
With Newsom barred from a third term, the California governor field is an unprecedented open race, inching between a crowded Democratic slate and a fragmented GOP effort. In Los Angeles, Mayor Bass faces a behind‑the‑scenes pop‑culture contender and the weight of a city still healing from the 2025 Palisades Fire and escalating homelessness. The primary’s outcome could drastically reshape the state's political landscape.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California is tighten its race for the balloting, with two headline contests defined by uncertainty and a set of outsider candidates seeking to crack the state’s long‑standing Democratic stronghold.Governor’s race: Former Fox News host Steve Hilton, who has been endorsed by President Trump, is urging Republicans to coalesce behind him as he competes for one of the two spots in the November election against billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer and former state attorney general Xavier Becerra. Hilton faces a tight field of GOP contenders, including Sheriff Chad Bianco, whose withdrawal could alter the GOP’s chances.Los Angeles mayoral race: Reality‑TV personality Spencer Pratt hopes his insurgent campaign will upset Democratic incumbent Karen Bass. Pratt, closely trailed by progressive city councilmember Nithya Raman and Bass, has rallied behind his fire‑which‑he saw in 2025 and campaign focus on the city’s recovery. Pratt asserts the fight is still `"We can’t give up on LA"`.The GOP has once feared the large field of Democratic gubernatorial candidates could open a path for two Republicans to advance to November. In the campaign’s closing days, Hilton suggests a “doomsday scenario” in which only Democrats advance. He argues that a Republican ticket could dampen turnout across the state and reorder races for Congress and the Legislature.Becerra and Steyer warning that a lone GOP candidate leaving the November ballot would be disastrous for California and for California Republicans, underscores the uncertainty. Mail voting began in early May, but as of Sunday only 15 % of voters had returned ballots, offering candidates room for a last‑minute change.Mayor Bass’s shaky first term leaves her vulnerable. She throws credit for a drop in homelessness to her administration, yet encampments and rows of rusting RVs remain rife in many neighborhoods. Bass also seeks to overcome lingering fallout from the 2025 Palisades Fire—the city’s most destructive event in history. Pratt, who lost his home in the blaze, turned it into a platform for his campaign.During a block party, a local historian highlights that the neighborhood’s quality of life has “slid for years,” with dirty streets, more homeless encampments, and a feeling that the Democratic Party has abandoned them. The LA race is non‑partisan but Bass is a Democrat, as is Raman.A poll from the University of California at Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, co‑sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found Bass tightly clustered with Raman and Pratt, with all others trailing. The 1,351 likely voters surveyed May 19‑24 showed no performance gap significant enough for a definitive lead.The city remains on a difficult juncture: Hollywood jobs decamped for cheaper filming locations, a downtown renaissance was crushed by extended pandemic closures, and many office buildings are still empty. Basic services are in short supply, with buckled streets, faulty sidewalks, and non‑functional streetlights.The governor race is the most open in a generation, with more than 50 names and no clear leader. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is barred by law from seeking a third term. Candidates include former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose mayor Matt Mahan, and Sheriff Bianco. Rebecca Katz, Steyer’s strategist, said Sunday that while they are feeling pretty good, the race remains dozy over every possession count.Steyer, a former hedge fund manager turned liberal activist, has set spending records in hopes of winning a seat. Hilton promises to lower costs in a state that suffers some of the nation’s highest gas, utility, and tax rates. Becerra stresses that his experience as Biden’s health secretary, former US House member, and state attorney general positions him as best able to lead the nation’s second‑most populous state.Broadly speaking, Republicans in the race are promising drastic change after years of Democratic governance – a story that has yet to show the same momentum as it has in the last two decades. Still, the California board is sure to shape the state’s political future going forward. Associated Press writer Jesse Bedayn in Austin, TX, contributed to this report.
