Hilton, Becerra lead California governor race: Key primary election results

California, Iowa, New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota held key primaries on Tuesday.

Voters in six US states headed to the polls on Tuesday for a series of primary elections, which will help shape the political landscape before November’s midterms.

The contests included California’s race to replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom, Iowa’s open Senate and governor races, New Jersey’s closely watched House battleground, and key statewide contests in New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota.

The US midterms traditionally serve as a key litmus test of public support for the president. This year, as President Donald Trump sees his approval ratings plummet over the war on Iran, observers are watching more closely than ever.

Although millions of ballots for the governor candidates have yet to be counted, California voters appear to be setting up a November showdown between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton.

The winner of the mid-term election in November will replace Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom, who is barred from seeking a third term.

Becerra, a former health secretary and California attorney general, has emerged as one of the leading candidates in a crowded field of Democrats, while Hilton, a former Fox News host endorsed by Trump, has built his campaign around popular concerns over housing costs, homelessness and affordability.

Kimberly L Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at Sacramento State University, said Becerra’s strong performance suggested many voters may be looking for continuity rather than a sharp change in direction after the Newsom years.

She pointed to voters’ decision to reject an effort to recall Newsom in 2021 as evidence that many Californians remain comfortable with the state’s Democratic leadership.

“If they choose a traditionally qualified candidate like Becerra, it indicates that Californians are content to keep governing in a similar way,” she told Al Jazeera. “We certainly saw that with the Newsom recall attempt. People’s minds hadn’t changed since Newsom was first elected.”

Nalder added that strategic voting may have played a chief role in the primary.

Under California’s top-two system, under which the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election regardless of party, some Democrats appeared to back candidates they believed had the best chance of advancing to November rather than those closest to them politically.

“Democrats have been fearful of a double Republican result,” she said. “Many waited until the last moment to gauge who the frontrunner