Becerra advances to November, moving closer to becoming California’s first elected Latino governor

Democratic political veteran Xavier Becerra has won one of the top two spots in California’s first election for governor, according to the Associated Press, a result that puts him in a good position to win in November and make history as the first Latino governor elected in California.

“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation in the world, have spoken – loudly and proudly,” Xavier Becerra said in a statement Friday. “We will not be bought. We will not be abused. And we will not back down. November, we are here.”

Former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican, is in second place and appears to be in the running to face Becerra in the November general election.

Tom Steyer, the hedge fund manager turned climate change activist, could finish in third place — which would be a disappointing end to a campaign that filled California television screens, social media and mailboxes because the progressive Democrat is using $216 million of his fortune.

Becerra’s victory was announced by the Associated Press on Friday evening, three days after the June 2 election – an indication of a competitive race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s lengthy vote-counting process. Still, Becerra and Hilton were within 1 percent of each other, though that could change as vote counts continue. Although his fate has yet to be finalized, Steyer is in contention for a top-two finish.

Under California’s primary system, only two candidates receive a majority of votes before the November general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Becerra will enter the general election campaign with a significant margin over Hilton as Democratic voters in California outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1, a clear reason why no GOP candidate has won a state race since 2006.

President Hilton’s endorsement of Hilton helped rally the support of Republican voters, which was crucial to his success in the primary, but may have hurt him against Becerra. About two-thirds of voters in the state want a governor who will fight Trump’s policies, according to a survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

Becerra could make history by becoming the first Latino to be elected governor — and the first to lead the country in more than 150 years. The last time a Latino held the office was 1875, when then-Lt. Gov. Romualdo Pacheco was promoted to fill the vacancy and serve for 10 months.

“California has made history. Xavier Becerra’s advancement to the national election is a defining moment both for the state, and for the millions of Latino families who have had a hand in shaping the future of the state. … As the home of the nation’s largest Latino population, California will once again demonstrate the decisive power of Latino voters,” said Vote Latino Executive Director Beatriz Lopez.

Although Latinos make up about 40% of the state’s population and are California’s largest ethnic group, they historically have low voter turnout and are underrepresented in the state. Although Becerra often cites his upbringing as the child of working-class Mexican immigrants, he still needs to show that he can do it for those communities, said Christian Arana, vice president of community empowerment and policy at the California-based Latino Community Foundation.

“There is a lot of excitement on the part of the representatives,” said Arana. “You can have Latino representation, but whether that will lead to tangible results for Latino communities, that’s what people want to know.”

After trailing in the single digits in public opinion polls with a handful of other Democratic candidates, Becerra rose quickly and suddenly following the political demise of former Rep. Eric Swalwell.

Becerra’s rise began days after Swalwell was expelled from the school in April following allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct, which he denies. Becerra quickly gathered support from elected officials including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and influential groups such as Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the California Medical Assn.

But both supporters and critics of Becerra struggle to explain exactly how or why he became the main beneficiary of Swalwell’s downfall.

Becerra’s campaign is touting the timing of the massive television and digital advertising campaign. Political ads began airing shortly before the allegations against Swalwell emerged and portrayed Becerra as a calm, knowledgeable leader with a record opposing Trump and support from the Young Democrat party.

Steyer’s campaign hired an intelligence firm to look for online activity in Becerra’s favor and found thousands of bot accounts promoting Becerra on various social media platforms. Becerra’s campaign denied any involvement and dismissed the influence of the fake accounts.

Political pundits described him as the stars aligned with the longtime Democratic Alliance politician. After the scandal, voters apparently were drawn to Becerra’s continued calm, thoughtful demeanor.

“He didn’t overreact even when he was attacked [during debates]he was calm,” said Fernando Guerra, professor of Chicano Studies at Loyola Marymount University.

After Swalwell’s campaign collapsed, members of the political lobby — many with ties to Newsom — who had been advising the former congressman began working for Becerra, including digital strategist Alf LaMont and veteran advisers Courtni Pugh and Lindsey Cobia.

“There was nothing that would hold him for long,” said Jason McDaniel, an associate professor of political science at San Francisco State University. “I think it was people who were looking for someone with a lot of experience who could win.”

Becerra’s first election victory was as a member of the provincial Parliament in 1990. He served one term before running for a congressional seat in Los Angeles, which he held for 24 years.

Then Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Becerra as the state’s attorney general in 2017, a position he used to challenge Trump administration policies in court more than 100 times — with great success. Becerra helped craft the Affordable Care Act in Congress and defended it as attorney general, and Joe Biden nominated him to serve as secretary of Health and Human Services.

The 68-year-old elected official has faced criticism over his record-setting campaign leading a major federal agency, particularly in a New York Times investigation that found thousands of unaccompanied migrant children ended up working in dangerous jobs after being released to sponsors.

Some former Biden administration officials, most of whom are unknown, also criticized Becerra’s leadership in the organization.

Still, Becerra’s supporters say the candidate’s experience, especially when it comes to fighting the Trump administration, qualifies him for the top job in California.

“He’s had very important positions in government,” labor leader Dolores Huerta said at Becerra’s election night event in downtown Los Angeles. “He’s fit. He doesn’t need to go into learning mode.”

“He’s a jurist,” said David Dixon, a political science professor at Cal State Dominguez Hills and the brother of a longtime Becerra aide. “If our Constitution is threatened, we need people like him to be in office so that we can recover the things we are losing now.”

Times staff writers Seema Mehta, Dakota Smith and Andrew Khouri contributed to this report.