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

Primary Election Results Advance Candidates in Six States Ahead of Midterms

Voters in six US states participated in primary elections on Tuesday. The outcomes will determine nominees for November’s midterm contests, including California’s open governor’s race, Iowa’s Senate and governor contests, New Jersey’s competitive House district, and statewide races in New Mexico, Montana, and South Dakota.

The midterms serve as a test of support for the sitting president. This year, with President Donald Trump in office during US military involvement in the conflict with Iran, analysts are monitoring the results for indications of voter sentiment.

California appears headed toward a Becerra-Hilton general election matchup. With many ballots still uncounted, early returns indicate that Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton will advance to face each other in November for the governorship. The seat is open because term limits prevent Democrat Gavin Newsom from running again.

Becerra, who previously served as US health secretary and California attorney general, led among Democratic candidates. Hilton, a former Fox News host who received an endorsement from Trump, campaigned on issues including housing costs, homelessness, and state affordability.

Kimberly L Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at Sacramento State University, stated that Becerra’s performance suggested voter preference for continuity with existing state leadership. She cited the 2021 recall election, in which voters rejected an effort to remove Newsom, as an earlier indicator of support for Democratic governance in the state. “If they choose a traditionally qualified candidate like Becerra, it indicates that Californians are content to keep governing in a similar way,” Nalder told Al Jazeera. She added that some Democratic voters appeared to support candidates they viewed as having the strongest chance of advancing under the state’s top-two primary system, rather than those aligned most closely with their own positions. “Democrats have been fearful of a double Republican result,” she said.

In San Francisco, state Senator Scott Wiener advanced in the race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Other House primaries in the state could affect the composition of California’s congressional delegation. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass led in her bid for a second term and is expected to reach a November runoff.

In Iowa, businessman Zach Lahn defeated Representative Randy Feenstra in the Republican primary for governor, despite Feenstra’s endorsement from Trump. Lahn ran as an outsider candidate and advocated a complete ban on abortion, opposition to certain curricula in public schools, and policies associated with the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. Lahn will face Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand in November.

In the Iowa Senate race, state Representative Josh Turek won the Democratic nomination over state Senator Zach Wahls. Representative Ashley Hinson secured the Republican nomination. Turek, a former Paralympian, described his campaign as focused on working-class concerns. Hinson, who received endorsements from Trump and retiring Senator Joni Ernst, enters the general election as the early favorite in a contest that Democrats have identified as a potential pickup opportunity.

In New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, Democrats nominated former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett to challenge Republican Representative Tom Kean Jr. The district ranks among the most competitive House seats nationally. Bennett’s campaign has highlighted Kean’s absences from more than 100 House votes due to an undisclosed illness. The November contest is rated as a toss-up by multiple analysts.

In New Mexico, former US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland won the Democratic nomination for governor. Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe and the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet, defeated Albuquerque District Attorney Sam Bregman. She will face Republican Greggory Hull in November. The state’s budget has received additional revenue from higher oil prices connected to the conflict with Iran; New Mexico ranks as the second-largest oil-producing state after Texas.

In Montana, Democrat Alani Bankhead and Republican Kurt Alme won their parties’ nominations for an open US Senate seat. In South Dakota, Attorney General Marty Jackley secured the Republican nomination for the state’s single House seat.

The results leave multiple general election matchups to be decided in November across the six states.