Xavier Becerra Wins California Governorship

Xavier Becerra won California’s governorship over Republican Steve Hilton, securing the Democratic victory in a race called shortly after polls closed on November 3. Becerra will succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom and become the first Latino elected governor of California. The Associated Press declared him the winner; the reports do not provide a final vote tally. Becerra, a Democrat and former state attorney general and U.S. secretary of health and human services, campaigned on his decades in public service. Hilton, a Republican and former television host who had never held elected office, argued that Democratic leadership had failed to address high living costs and other problems facing Californians. Becerra tied Hilton to President Donald Trump and pledged to oppose federal policies he considered harmful to the state. Becerra’s path to the general election changed after former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell left the primary race in April amid sexual misconduct allegations, which Swalwell denied. Becerra, who had initially polled in the single digits, gained support and finished ahead of other Democrats in the June primary. Hilton also advanced to the general election....