According to The Post Millennial, Decision Desk HQ projected Hilton’s advancement following a hard-fought top-two primary that remained unsettled for days as ballots were tallied. Under California’s unusual system, the two highest vote-getters move on to the general election regardless of party, a structure that has often favored Democrats in the deep-blue state but now gives conservatives a rare statewide opening.
On election night, Hilton edged ahead with 27.8 percent of the vote, while Becerra followed with 25.4 percent. Billionaire activist Tom Steyer finished a distant third at 19.6 percent, as the remaining contenders, including Rep. Katie Porter and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, divided the rest of the electorate.
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The contest was dramatically reshaped when former frontrunner Rep. Eric Swalwell abruptly exited the race after the resurfacing of sexual assault allegations. Swalwell has denied the accusations, yet his withdrawal fractured the Democratic field and appeared to give Becerra fresh momentum with progressive voters.
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Hilton, meanwhile, struggled to fully consolidate the right as he navigated a split Republican base. Despite receiving President Donald Trump's endorsement, he shared the ballot with Bianco, who stayed in the race through primary day and likely siphoned off conservative support while Hilton spent the final weeks imploring Republicans to “unite behind his candidacy.”
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A former Fox News host and political commentator, Hilton has anchored his campaign on a platform of deregulation, energy affordability, and law-and-order priorities. He has pledged to reduce state regulations, lower gas prices, reform California's education system, and crack down on crime and government fraud, drawing a sharp contrast with Sacramento’s entrenched progressive agenda.
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Elsewhere in California politics, Los Angeles voters set up a starkly different November matchup in the mayoral race. Earlier Monday, Socialist City Councilmember Nithya Raman advanced to the runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass after overtaking Spencer Pratt during the extended vote-counting process.
Pratt, a Republican outsider, had led Raman on election night and for several days afterward, but late-arriving mail-in ballots ultimately pushed her into second place. Raman's advancement guarantees an all-Democrat showdown and ends one of the state’s most closely watched local races, after Pratt surged on voter anger over homelessness, affordability, public safety, and the city's widely criticized response to the 2025 wildfires.
