(Adnkronos) – It will still take some time to determine the winners of the crowded gubernatorial primaries in California. With over half of the votes counted, the elections are still considered ‘too close to call’, with former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, surprisingly, leading among Democrats with 26%, followed by billionaire climate activist, Tom Steyer, with 20%. Among Republicans, Steve Hilton, former Fox News host, is in the lead with 27%, followed, at a distance, by Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco who, with 11%, is the only other candidate to have achieved a double-digit result.
Unlike other states, where Democrats and Republicans have separate primaries, in California all candidates are on the same ballot, with the top two, regardless of party affiliation, going on to compete in the November elections to replace Gavin Newsom, the current Democratic governor who has reached his term limit and is considered one of the main potential Democratic candidates for the 2028 presidential election.
In such a situation, American media predict that it could take days before the two official winners are known, as they have to wait for the mail-in ballot count. Commenting on the results, Becerra emphasized his surprising exploit and his immigrant family origins: “from the start I was sidelined, with less money than others, I was even asked to withdraw, but you know what? the underdog stayed to fight, like my parents I didn’t give up.”
