Becerra Leads California Governor Primary; Haaland Wins New Mexico Nomination

California voters selected their next governor Tuesday in a race that narrowed to three leading candidates after an unusual primary season disrupted by scandal and a crowded field. With Gov. Gavin Newsom term-limited, the top two finishers advance to November regardless of party, setting up a contest that will shape Democratic strategy in the nation’s largest state as it confronts Trump administration policies on immigration, redistricting and federal funding.

Polls throughout the spring showed the contest consolidating around Democrats Xavier Becerra, the former U.S. health secretary and state attorney general, and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, with Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, holding the third spot. The absence of high-profile celebrities or entrenched political machines made the race distinctive from the start. A mid-April scandal further scrambled dynamics, giving candidates a reset window before Election Day. Turnout patterns added uncertainty, as an unusually large share of voters returned ballots late in the process. California’s extended vote-counting timeline means final projections could take days or weeks.

The winner will inherit a state whose structural problems have only grown more pressing. Homelessness, wildfire risk, persistent drought and a severe shortage of affordable housing top the list of challenges that require sustained state-level investment and regulatory reform. At the same time, California has positioned itself as a counterweight to federal policy, using its size and resources to maintain independent approaches on environmental rules and immigrant protections. The next governor will decide how aggressively to continue that posture while managing budgets strained by economic volatility.

In New Mexico, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland secured the Democratic nomination for governor, defeating Albuquerque prosecutor Sam Bregman. Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe and the first Native American to serve in a presidential Cabinet, is now positioned to become the first Native American woman elected governor if she wins the general election in the solidly Democratic state. She would succeed term-limited Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

New Mexico’s next leader will oversee an ambitious set of social programs financed largely by oil and gas revenues. The state has used those resources to fund universal child care, expanded health coverage, free school lunches and tuition-free college, creating one of the more expansive safety nets among energy-producing states. Managing the balance between fossil-fuel income and long-term economic diversification will be a central task, especially as one of the nation’s poorest states seeks to sustain these initiatives amid fluctuating energy markets.

Both contests reflect the broader pressures facing Democratic-led states: delivering results on housing, climate adaptation and social services while navigating federal policy shifts. The outcomes in California and New Mexico will test whether candidates can translate primary support into governing coalitions capable of addressing entrenched problems rather than simply preserving existing advantages.