California primary election results for key 2026 races including governor, LA mayor and more

CBS News projects that incumbent Mayor Karen Bass will advance to the November election, while her opponents, Councilmember Nithya Raman and political newcomer Spencer Pratt, compete for the final spot.

In California, only the top two vote-getters will move on to the November election. With ballots still being counted, Bass will need to wait to see who she will face in the runoff election.

Leading up to Election Day, the trio appeared deadlocked in a tight battle for voters, with Bass holding a slim 26% lead, Raman close behind at 25% and Pratt at 22%, according to a May 28 UC Berkeley-LA Times poll, which cited a margin of error of around 3%.

Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was all smiles as he addressed his supporters at his election watch party in Los Angeles, framing himself as the underdog in the California governor's race who "stayed in the fight" and "never gave up."

Becerra said the early results show he is one step closer to his goal of becoming the next governor.

"Tonight, the people in the great state of California in the greatest nation on earth have spoken loudly and proudly," said Becerra, who previously served as state attorney general. "And while I take nothing for granted — there are lots of ballots to be counted — it appears we are on track to advance to November."

Becerra and Republican challenger Steve Hilton quickly emerged as the two leading candidates as the first waves of returns came in, and that has not changed since the polls closed in California.

"I ran for the job because I know how important California is as a shining light to the world, radiating hope, freedom, opportunity, an unwavering belief in science, public schooling, enterprise, foundational justice and human rights," Becerra said. "California is America on fast-forward. It's gleaming spotlights on the better angels of a more perfect union."

Becerra gained significant ground in the governor's race following the exit of former Rep. Eric Swalwell and quickly emerged as a top Democratic challenger.

Reality TV star and political newcomer Spencer Pratt spoke to supporters as votes continued to roll in late Tuesday at his watch party at Don Antonio's in Culver City, where the crowd included his wife Heidi Montag, "The Hills" co-star Brody Jenner and comedian Adam Carolla. 

"This is not a candidate that I'm too concerned about," Pratt said of his opponent, Mayor Karen Bass, while speaking with reporters.

He also spoke on his meteoric rise as candidate for mayor of the nation's second most populous city.

"I'm ready for whatever god puts in front of me," Pratt said. "Obviously, I was going to accept whatever god's plan was tonight. I was going to be happy if I wasn't moving forward because I would've known god didn't want me to be the mayor. Now, I feel very confident."

He said he will continue working hard over the next five months to build his teams and surround himself with experience so that there is no concern over his own lack of political background. He also said that he's excited to show people that a lot of his support also comes from Democratic voters.

"I got in this because as a citizen I felt like my city failed myself, my neighbors, my family," Pratt said. "I look around and the city's failing most of Los Angeles."

When asked whether his background could impact his political career, he said that he believes much of Los Angeles is excited for a non-politician to step into the role of mayor. 

"I don't want to be a politician. I wasn't ready to be the mayor, but I know what people want now. They want somebody to speak the truth for their communities and fight for them," Pratt said.

He thanked everyone who voted for him, his "prayer warriors" and those who he said have fought for him in social media comment sections. 

Pratt said he looks forward to more debates with Bass because it's his "favorite thing to do."

"She knows it's on. I hope she's ready; I literally could not be more excited," Pratt said. "I'm an Angeleno who said, 'Enough is enough.' And I had to step up. I didn't know I'd be here tonight; it's obviously god's plan and I'm gonna show everybody that I'm their mayor."

Republican Steven Hilton told his supporters that "change is coming to California," as early results showed him leading in the gubernatorial race.

"I want to just say something from my heart to every single person who's voted for me: We're not there yet, but it's looking good," Hilton said on Tuesday night. "It looks very much like Californians really will have the chance to vote for change in November and take our state in a new direction."

He continued to level criticism on the state's housing and affordability crises, promising supporters that he will continue to "revive California."

"There's nowhere better than California, but we all know that this state has gone off track, and we need to get it back on track," Hilton said. "I've seen the struggle that Californians are facing today."

Hilton took a moment to talk about the Los Angeles mayor's race and political newcomer Spencer Pratt's campaign.

"It looks very much like change is coming in Los Angeles as well. How about that? I think a certain outsider candidate for mayor looks like he's doing pretty well tonight as well," Hilton said. "I don't know what it is, maybe something about what's gone wrong in California is that we've got a failed and broken system."

CBS News projects that state Sen. Scott Wiener will advance in the race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is not running for reelection in her San Francisco district.

As of 10 p.m., a second candidate to advance had not yet been projected. Democrat Connie Chan, a member of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, was coming in second in early returns.

In Southern California, CBS News projects that Democrat Rep. Derek Tran will advance to the general election in California's 45th Congressional District, which spans Garden Grove to Brea in parts of western Orange County and eastern Los Angeles County. Tran's district is home to the GKN Aerospace facility where a leak in a compromised chemical tank displaced thousands from their homes last month.

As of 10 p.m., Republicans Chuong Vo and Chi Nguyen were locked in a tight race for second.

"I'm incredibly humbled by tonight's results and to represent my community in Congress," Tran said. "I am confident we will prevail again in November, and I look forward to getting back to work."

Former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter addressed supporters at her watch party after early election results showed her falling behind other leading candidates in the race for California governor.

Porter, who was previously viewed as a front-runner in the early stages of the race, has fallen significantly behind other big names in the race including fellow Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, and leading Republican candidate Steve Hilton.

"The votes are still being counted and it may take a few days here in California to have final numbers, but we know tonight that we will not advance to the general election in November," Porter said.

Porter continued by saying she was "incredibly proud" of her campaign and supporters and offered congratulations to the other candidates in the race.

"Running a race like this isn't easy, and coming up short is hard, but democracy is worth doing hard things for. Stay in the fight, stay in touch, and thank you for believing in me," she said.

Just about half an hour after polls closed at 8 p.m., former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa conceded the race for California governor.

Villaraigosa issued a statement at 8:29 p.m., thanking supporters and congratulating other candidates.

"Tonight didn't turn out the way we hoped, and I offer my congratulations to the winners and offer my best wishes for the road ahead," he said. "I'm not stepping aside from the cause, only from the race. To everyone who gave this campaign a piece of their hope: hold on to it. California is worth fighting for - and I'm not done fighting." 

A longtime figure in California politics, Villaraigosa was one of the first major candidates to join the race.

Around 9:45 p.m., San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democrat, released a statement officially making him the second candidate to concede the race.

"I want to congratulate my fellow candidates on a hard-fought campaign. While this campaign for governor ends tonight, our mission has only begun," Mahan said. "We've proven that a better California is possible. Because we're doing it right here in San Jose."

Mahan then offered a brief signal about his future in California politics.

"We will take tonight to celebrate all we have accomplished. But we're back to work tomorrow," Mahan said. "This is not the last time I will ask Californians to come together to fight for a better state."

Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer took the stage at his election night watch party in San Francisco to target corporations and their influence on elections as early results roll in for the California's governor's race.

First results have shown Steyer trailing behind Republican challenger Steve Hilton and fellow Democrat Xavier Becerra.

"For the corporations, politics isn't about parties, it's about profits," Steyer said. "They do not think in red and blue teams. They think in red and black ink."

Steyer then called out major corporations by name, including Chevron, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Meta, saying they and other large companies mobilized against him when he signaled that he would tax them if elected governor.

"They are unanimous [in] their hate for me and I welcome their hatred," Steyer said.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman spoke to supporters at her election watch party about an hour after polls closed.

"I'm here because I love Los Angeles with all of my heart. This is the most hopeful, the most resilient, the most complicated, the most creative, the most beautiful city in the entire world," she said. 

She commented on her unorthodox entry into the race against her longtime ally, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, and Spencer Pratt.

"A few months ago, this campaign was a long shot. No one knew who I was; I was the last to enter this race," Raman said. "We had no institutional backing. But what we did have was a vision for Los Angeles."

She promised to continue fighting to make Los Angeles a place of opportunity and a place where working people could build a future as well as anyone else. 

"A vision where government actually functions and delivers every day on this city's beautiful, big-hearted values. Where we stand up against ICE, where we show up for our gay and trans siblings. A vision where our neighborhoods are safe, where they're full of trees, and shade, and alive with activity," she said. 

Raman then went on to note that her vision for LA "threatens some very powerful forces."

"They came at us with everything that they had. The corporate landlords, the city hall insiders, the corporations, who have spent years making sure city hall worked for them and not for the people," she said. "These powerful interests spent millions of dollars against this little campaign."

She said that her team fought back against the "MAGA machine" with "love and hope" and the support of her followers. 

"You helped us shape plans and policies for what we can actually build in LA together," she said. "Tonight may not give us a final answer on this race. Many thousands of votes will be counted on the days ahead, and we may not get an answer we like. But regardless of what happens next, nobody, nobody can take away what we built together."

As results continue to come in for the Los Angeles mayoral election, Mayor Karen Bass spoke to supporters at her Koreatown watch party around 9:15 p.m.

"I will tell you it is looking good so far," said an energetic Bass. "I am so glad to be here with everyone. On a night [that], in a couple of hours, we will declare victory." 

Just before 9 p.m., Bass was leading the race with 36.5 percent of the vote. Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt was in second with 30.1 percent of the vote and LA City Council member Nithya Raman trailed behind in third with 20.2%.

If no candidate earns more than 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff election in November with the top two candidates advancing.

With her family standing behind her, Bass thanked those in her life for standing by her during a hard-fought primary campaign.

"Let me just say, we can't do anything without our families," Bass said. "Our families who put up with all that we have to go through when we choose public life. I just want to take a minute to tell you much how much I love you so much and appreciate you for standing there with me throughout thick and thin." 

Early returns have started to come in for key races across California, including the high-profile gubernatorial and insurance commissioner races.

In the race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom, first results show that Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra are leading the pack. These early results have aligned with the latest polls conducted leading up to the primary election.
Billionaire Tom Steyer, also a Democrat, and Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco are positioned behind them as the remaining candidates trail even further behind.

As candidates are vying to replace Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, who is also termed out, early returns show Democratic challengers Jane Kim and state Sen. Ben Allen leading the race. Republican candidate Stacy Korsgaden follows closely behind.

Early results remain preliminary, and additional Election Day and vote-by-mail ballots are still being processed across the state.

Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco spoke with supporters at his election watch party shortly after polls closed across California. 

"I cannot express enough, from the bottom of my heart, how appreciative I am for all of you," Bianco said.

He said that his goal in running for governor was to provide California's youth with the same opportunities that he had growing up. 

"It's not because of any of you, it's not because of any of your businesses. It's because of an absolutely failed political agenda in California," he said. "There is only one way to fix that, and that is to absolutely disrupt and destroy this agenda in Sacramento that is ruining our lives."

Bianco said that his decision to run was came with sacrificing time spent with family and the sheriff's department. 

"It was a sacrifice to make sure that I did everything I could to travel the state for the last 16 months to make sure that I make a better life for all of you in California," he said. "We did everything we could to make sure that we made the California Dream an attainable thing again, and we're going to keep this going."

He told the crowd that there would be 30 days of vote counting and that he and his team were in a "very, very, very good spot."

"Strategically, in our campaign, we knew that it was going to come down to voting day, because our voters are on voting day," Bianco said. "We don't believe in polls, we don't believe in mail-in ballots, and we show up to the polls and we make sure to choose who the next governor is going to be."

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton stepped onto the stage at his Huntington Beach watch party at about 7 p.m. to reach voters just an hour before polls close in California.

"There's still an hour left, so if you want change, there's only one candidate for change that has a realistic possibility of making it into the top two," he said. "If you want change in California, there's only one vote that can make it happen."

Hilton pointed to the 16 years of Democratic Party control of the state Capitol since former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011. In the last few weeks of campaigning before Tuesday's primary, Hilton has continuously called for Republican voters to unite behind him to avoid a vote-splitting situation between him and fellow GOP candidate, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

"We cannot let this chance for change slip away," he said. "The argument for change is irresistible … We are fighting as if we are in third place."

When speaking about the two leading Democrats contending to advance in the race, Hilton said both were more of the same. Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Hilton argued, has had moments in which he said he wouldn't do things much differently than current Gov. Gavin Newsom. Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer would push the state "even further and faster" in a direction "Californians by a majority have said they don't want to go," Hilton claimed.

"I don't think it makes any difference, to be honest, whether it's Tom Steyer or Xavier Becerra," he said.

Bay Area voters are casting their ballots in Tuesday's primary election to help determine several races that could draw national attention, including contests to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Rep. Eric Swalwell in Congress, and others that will determine whether San Francisco should further tax wealthy companies or hand out more tax breaks.

Voters in Pelosi's San Francisco district will decide who should advance in the race to represent them after she opted against running for reelection. There are eight Democrats, two Republicans and a no party preference candidate running in the primary. 

In California's 14th Congressional District, candidates will face off to control the seat previously held by former Rep. Eric Swalwell. Swalwell was not running for reelection after launching a bid for governor, but the Dublin politician dropped out of the race and resigned from Congress in April following sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.

In San Francisco, voters will be deciding on two competing measures, both aimed at how companies are taxed. Under Proposition C, more businesses would be exempt from the Gross Receipts Tax by increasing how much a company can earn before being subject to the tax. If passed, the measure would affect the city's Top Executive Pay Tax by accelerating the tax rate schedule and then stopping any future increases.

The competing measure, Proposition D, aims to adjust the formula for the Top Executive Pay Tax. If approved, it would change the calculation of the tax using the compensation of all employees, not just employees based in San Francisco. If both measures pass, the one that receives more votes would take effect.

In Alameda County, voters will decide whether District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson should continue to hold office. Competing against her for the top prosecutor's job is Pamela Price, who was recalled by voters in 2024 and was replaced by Jones Dickson, who was appointed to the job by the county's Board of Supervisors. A political newcomer, trial attorney Gopal Krishan, is also running for district attorney.

Several Northern California congressional races reshaped by Proposition 50 may become consequential battlegrounds Tuesday night as crowded primary fields are narrowed in contests that could help shape the fight for control of Congress in November.

In California's 13th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Adam Gray is seeking reelection after defeating Republican John Duarte by just 187 votes in 2024. The redrawn district now includes part of Stockton and is considered more favorable to Democrats. Among Gray's challengers is Republican Kevin Lincoln II, the former mayor of Stockton.

California's 6th Congressional District has been redrawn to include parts of the Sacramento area, along with Rocklin and Roseville. Rep. Kevin Kiley, who currently represents California's 3rd District, is running as a no party preference candidate after announcing in March that he left the Republican Party. He faces Democrats Lauren Babb Tomlinson, Thien Ho, Dr. Richard Pan, Martha Guerrero and Tyler Vandenberg, along with Republican Michael Stansfield.

With Santa Rosa now added the the district's boundaries and Redding removed, California's 1st District is also expected to be more favorable to being won by a Democrat. The district includes parts of Butte, Glenn, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Plumas, Sierra, Sonoma and Tehama counties. The field includes three Democrats – Audrey Denney, Mike McGuire and Janice Karrman – along with Republican James Gallagher and two no party preference candidates, Timothy Kelly and Richard Minner.

Southern California will be closely watched on Tuesday as Los Angeles, the nation's second most populous city, looks to the future of its leadership. Political observers will also pay close attention to election results in the race to represent the newly redrawn 40th Congressional District, a GOP stronghold that stretches across parts of Orange County and the Inland Empire. The contest has pitted two leading congressional Republicans against each other.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' reelection bid has left her potentially vulnerable after she faced sharp criticisms for the city's preparations and subsequent response to the devastating Palisades Fire in January 2025. Still, she earned endorsements from top Democrats including Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris. On the campaign trail, Bass has touted a drop in LA's homelessness rate since she took office in 2022.

Former "The Hills" reality TV star Spencer Pratt lost his Pacific Palisades home in the blaze, and has been a vocal critic of Bass' handling of the fire. He's positioned himself as the outsider, non-establishment candidate in a race in which his two main opponents are directly involved in LA politics. Pratt has said that while he's a registered Republican, he's running for mayor as a non-partisan.

LA City Council member Nithya Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has keyed in on the issue of housing and affordability during her campaign. A longtime ally of Bass, Raman has attacked her over the city's homelessness crisis and skyrocketing housing prices.

Meanwhile, parts of the Inland Empire and Orange County will select two candidates to advance to November's general election for the 40th Congressional District. The district's new boundaries came about after the passage of voter-approved Proposition 50 last year, which retooled districts held by incumbent Republican Rep. Young Kim of Anaheim Hills and longtime Republican Rep. Ken Calvert of Corona, who was first elected to Congress in 1992. Each campaign has focused its attacks on the other, with both Kim and Calvert trumpeting their support for President Trump. Mr. Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the primary.

More candidates added to the mix could complicate the primary, particularly if Kim and Calvert split the vote between Republicans and potentially allow a Democrat to squeeze through in the top two. Esther Kim Varet, an art gallery owner and political newcomer, is viewed as the most viable Democrat, although an all-Republican showdown between Kim and Calvert could be in the cards.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. on Tuesday across California. Ballots must be cast in person or returned before 8 p.m. 

Eligible citizens who missed the May 18 deadline to register to vote can complete the "Same Day" voter registration process on Election Day, at their local county election office or any in-person voting location within their county. 

At in-person polling locations, anyone who was in line before 8 p.m. will still be allowed to cast their ballot, the Secretary of State says. Officials encourage voters to remain in line if they arrived before polls closed.