By Daniel Trotta
June 2 (Reuters) - California votes on Tuesday in a primary election that will choose two finalists for governor and Los Angeles mayor while also testing newly redrawn congressional lines
that could tip the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The marquee contest is the open race for governor, with Governor Gavin Newsom termed out and widely seen as pursuing a run for the White House in 2028. A field of 61 candidates is competing under the state’s “jungle primary," in which the two highest vote-getters advance regardless of party.
The latest polls show Democrat and former Biden cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra leading, with Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer and Republican television personality Steve Hilton also challenging for the right to move on to the November 3 general election.
Tuesday’s results will determine whether Democrats can avoid internal fragmentation and whether a Republican can capitalize on a divided electorate. Moreover, the primary marks the first test of a new congressional map that could turn the midterm contest into a pivotal battle with control of Congress at stake.
After Trump urged Texas last year to draw new district maps designed to pick up five Republican seats, Newsom counterpunched by shepherding through a voter initiative aimed at swinging five California seats into the Democratic column. Under California's formerly independent redistricting, Democrats already held a 43-9 advantage within the state's congressional delegation.
Even in such a Democratic state, early polls in the gubernatorial race suggested two Republicans might finish on top, as Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco led.
But now the Democrats could be poised to land both spots, if the polls are correct in placing Becerra and Steyer near the top.
Since adopting the jungle primary in 2014, California has never nominated two Democrats in a gubernatorial election, though it has happened in other races, including Kamala Harris' election to the U.S. Senate in 2016.
On the Republican side, Hilton, a former Fox News host, pulled away from Bianco after getting President Donald Trump's endorsement.
The Democratic field appeared to coalesce around Becerra after former frontrunner Eric Swalwell left the race and resigned from the U.S. Congress in April following accusations of sexual assault from a former staffer. Swalwell denied the allegations.
Mark Baldassare, survey director at the Public Policy Institute of California, said voters seemed to be placing importance on Becerra's experience, seeing him as a safe bet after Swalwell's departure.
"His message about his time as attorney general defending California, particularly around issues involving the Trump administration, seems to have resonated with many Democratic voters who overwhelmingly are disapproving of President Trump's job performance," Baldassare said.
Steyer, who has portrayed himself as the most progressive of the Democratic frontrunners, has remained near the top of polls after spending around $200 million of his own money on the campaign. He has promised more taxes on billionaires, including himself.
OTHER CALIFORNIA RACES
Elsewhere on the ballot, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faces a field of more than a dozen challengers amid voter concerns over homelessness, affordability and the aftermath of the 2025 Palisades fire.
She was challenged within her party by city Councilmember Nithya Raman, while polls show the leading Republican candidate is reality television personality Spencer Pratt.
Among congressional contests, prognosticators see the 22nd district race in the agricultural Central Valley as the closest, with Republican Representative David Valadao seeking reelection against two Democrats, state Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains and educator Randy Villegas.
One seat Democrats are hoping to pick up is the 48th district, after liberal Palm Springs was moved from its Riverside County district to inland San Diego County, where Republican incumbent Darrell Issa opted against seeking reelection.
The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. PDT on Tuesday (1400 to 0300 GMT), but definitive results in close races could take days as California allows voters to mail in ballots up to Election Day.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Jamie Freed)
