Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra advances to California governor general election, AP projects

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com. California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra advanced to the state's general election Friday night, according to an Associated Press race call. The AP called the race for Becerra at 7:50 p.m. EDT, sending the former U.S. health secretary and ex-California attorney general into the November contest to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton appeared headed for a November showdown. AP vote totals showed Becerra with 26.7% of the vote and Hilton with 26.4%, while Democrat Tom Steyer finished third with 21.0%. In a statement following the race call, Becerra touted the result as a victory for working Californians and said his campaign would carry its message into the fall election. HILTON, BECERRA IN THE LEAD WITH VOTES STIL