Tense governor’s race in California unsettled as vote-counting continues

Key Points:

• The California governor’s primary race remains unresolved as election officials continue counting unprocessed ballots, a process that may take days or weeks due to mail-in ballots received after election day.
• British-born conservative Steve Hilton currently leads the race, followed by former US Secretary Xavier Becerra, with billionaire Tom Steyer trailing; the top two will advance to the November general election.
• President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton on social media, while Becerra expressed optimism about advancing despite being considered an underdog, and Steyer’s campaign called for patience during the ongoing count.
• Some conservative commentators have raised unsubstantiated voter fraud claims, particularly targeting mail-in ballots, while California’s Secretary of State emphasized prioritizing election security and voter rights over speed.
• California law requires counties to complete ballot counts by June 15, but mail-in ballots postmarked by election day and received by June 9 can be counted afterward, contributing to the delay in final results.