{"id":767,"date":"2026-06-02T11:12:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=767"},"modified":"2026-06-02T11:12:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:12:22","slug":"california-votes-in-primary-to-pick-new-governor-and-maybe-tip-balance-in-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=767","title":{"rendered":"California votes in primary to pick new governor, and maybe tip balance in Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><div><div><ul><li>Summary<\/li><\/ul><\/div><div><\/div><\/div><div>June 2 (Reuters) &#8211; California votes on Tuesday in a primary election that will choose two finalists for governor and Los Angeles mayor \u200bwhile also testing newly redrawn congressional lines that could tip the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.<\/div><div>The marquee contest is \u200cthe open race for governor, with Governor Gavin Newsom termed out and widely seen as pursuing a run for the White House in 2028. A field of 61 candidates is competing under the state\u2019s \u201cjungle primary,&#8221; in which the two highest vote-getters advance regardless of party.<\/div><div>The latest polls show Democrat and former Biden cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra leading, with Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer and Republican television \u200bpersonality Steve Hilton also challenging for the right to move on to the November 3 general election.<\/div><div>Tuesday\u2019s results will determine whether Democrats can avoid internal \u200bfragmentation and whether a Republican can capitalize on a divided electorate. Moreover, the primary marks the first test of a new \u2060congressional map that could turn the midterm contest into a pivotal battle with control of Congress at stake.<\/div><div>After Trump urged Texas last year to draw new district \u200bmaps designed to pick up five Republican seats, Newsom counterpunched by shepherding through a voter initiative aimed at swinging five California seats into the Democratic column. Under California&#8217;s \u200bformerly independent redistricting, Democrats already held a 43-9 advantage within the state&#8217;s congressional delegation.<\/div><div>Even in such a Democratic state, early polls in the gubernatorial race suggested two Republicans might finish on top, as Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco led.<\/div><div>But now the Democrats could be poised to land both spots, if the polls are correct in placing Becerra and Steyer near the top.<\/div><div>Since \u200badopting the jungle primary in 2014, California has never nominated two Democrats in a gubernatorial election, though it has happened in other races, including Kamala Harris&#8217; election \u200bto the U.S. Senate in 2016.<\/div><div>On the Republican side, Hilton, a former Fox News host, pulled away from Bianco after getting President Donald Trump&#8217;s endorsement.<\/div><div>The Democratic field appeared to coalesce around Becerra \u200cafter former \u2060frontrunner Eric Swalwell left the race and resigned from the U.S. Congress in April following accusations of sexual assault from a former staffer. Swalwell denied the allegations.<\/div><div>Mark Baldassare, survey director at the Public Policy Institute of California, said voters seemed to be placing importance on Becerra&#8217;s experience, seeing him as a safe bet after Swalwell&#8217;s departure.<\/div><div>&#8220;His message about his time as attorney general defending California, particularly around issues involving the Trump administration, seems to have resonated with many Democratic voters who overwhelmingly are disapproving of President \u200bTrump&#8217;s job performance,&#8221; Baldassare said.<\/div><div>Steyer, who has \u200bportrayed himself as the most progressive \u2060of the Democratic frontrunners, has remained near the top of polls after spending around $200 million of his own money on the campaign. He has promised more taxes on billionaires, including himself.<\/div><h2>OTHER CALIFORNIA RACES<\/h2><div>Elsewhere on the ballot, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faces \u200ba field of more than a dozen challengers amid voter concerns over homelessness, affordability and the aftermath of the 2025 \u200bPalisades fire.<\/div><div>She was challenged \u2060within her party by city Councilmember Nithya Raman, while polls show the leading Republican candidate is reality television personality Spencer Pratt.<\/div><div>Among congressional contests, prognosticators see the 22nd district race in the agricultural Central Valley as the closest, with Republican Representative David Valadao seeking reelection against two Democrats, state Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains and educator Randy Villegas.<\/div><div>One seat Democrats are hoping \u2060to pick up \u200bis the 48th district, after liberal Palm Springs was moved from its Riverside County district to \u200binland San Diego County, where Republican incumbent Darrell Issa opted against seeking reelection.<\/div><div>The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. PDT on Tuesday (1400 to 0300 GMT), but definitive results in close races \u200bcould take days as California allows voters to mail in ballots up to Election Day.<\/div><div><address><div><div><noscript>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"120\" height=\"120\" alt=\"Daniel Trotta\" class=\"wp-image-396\" src=\"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f296add2a2178beb2a0cf881113d4587.avif\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/noscript><\/div><div>Daniel Trotta<\/div><\/div><div><ul><li><span><div><svg><title>Email<\/title><\/svg><\/div><\/span><\/li><li><span><div><svg><title>X<\/title><\/svg><\/div><\/span><\/li><li><span><div><svg><title>Linkedin<\/title><\/svg><\/div><\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/address><\/div><\/div><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=765\">US lawmakers to grill Rubio, as Iran war enters fourth month<\/a><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=762\">A strong El Nino may be imminent. Climate change will make its effects worse<\/a><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=760\">Stocks bounce as AI optimism offsets Middle East anxiety<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The latest polls show Democrat and former Biden cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra leading, with Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer and Republican television \u200bpersonality Steve Hilton also challenging for the right to move on to the November 3 general election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[14,17],"class_list":["post-767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-government","tag-public-policy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>California votes in primary to pick new governor, and maybe tip balance in Congress - 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