The California Secretary of State's results page, reporting as of 6:47 p.m. on 11 June, listed Becerra with 2,504,645 votes, or 28.0%. It listed Hilton with 2,225,051 votes, or 24.9%, and Democrat Tom Steyer with 2,025,650 votes, or 22.6%.
Top California governor primary candidates. Source: California Secretary of State, June 11 2026.
The results are not certified. The Secretary of State page labels the returns unofficial, says results will be certified by 10 July 2026, and says vote-by-mail, provisional and other ballots will continue to be processed and counted after election night. It also says results will change during the canvass period as those ballots are tallied.
California's rule explains why first and second place matter more than party nomination labels. The Secretary of State says candidates for voter-nominated offices appear on one primary ballot, and only the top two vote-getters move on to the general election regardless of party preference. Governor is a voter-nominated statewide office.
CalMatters reported on 10 June that Hilton would face Becerra in November after the primary count narrowed the field. The Guardian also reported that Hilton advanced and would face Becerra. Those accounts should be read together with the official caveat that the count remains unofficial until certification.
The count points to a Democrat-versus-Republican general-election race rather than a November contest between two Democrats. Becerra led Hilton by 279,594 votes in the unofficial statewide count, while Hilton led Steyer by 199,401 votes. Those margins explain why outlets have identified the apparent top two, but they do not make the count certified.
The strongest counterpoint to early campaign interpretation is procedural. A top-two primary does not measure party membership in the same way as a closed partisan primary, because all candidates for the office appear together and voters can choose any candidate. It also does not settle November turnout, campaign spending or coalition behaviour.