SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) \u2014 California\u2019s gubernatorial primary comes to a close Tuesday as voters choose from an extensive field of candidates hoping to replace termed-out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.<\/p>\n
The end of the voting period, which began in early May, concludes a chaotic contest without a clear front-runner. Candidates tried to elbow each other out<\/a> in the final stretch as each sought to convince voters that they were best prepared to lead the most populous state and one of the world\u2019s largest economies.<\/p>\n California puts all candidates on a single primary ballot regardless of party, and the top two finishers advance to the November general election. About 60 candidates were on the ballot, most of them largely unknown to the state\u2019s roughly 23 million voters. <\/p>\n In the race\u2019s final days, much of the attention focused on two Democrats \u2014 Xavier Becerra<\/a>, a former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, and Tom Steyer<\/a>, a billionaire climate activist \u2014 and Republican Steve Hilton<\/a>, a conservative commentator and former British political adviser. <\/p>\n Becerra cast himself as the experienced, responsible pick, while both Steyer and Hilton ran as change agents. Steyer pledged to advance progressive policies like universal health care and aggressive climate policy, while Hilton said he would bring a badly needed reset after years of Democratic rule. <\/p>\n \u201cMake sure we don\u2019t let this chance for change slip through our fingers,\u201d Hilton said Tuesday on social media, urging Republicans to coalesce behind him or risk sending two Democrats to the general. President Donald Trump endorsed him, boosting him with the party\u2019s voters.<\/p>\n Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco<\/a> and Democrats Katie Porter<\/a>, a former member of Congress; and Matt Mahan<\/a>, the mayor of San Jose were among other contenders in the race.<\/p>\n Affordability has been a key theme<\/p>\n The through line of the race was how to tackle the state\u2019s notoriously high cost of living. <\/p>\n Drivers were paying $6.08 per gallon at the pump as of the end of May, $1.65 higher than the national average, according to AAA. Meanwhile the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office has estimated that the typical home is about $775,000, more than double the national average. And Californians pay the second-highest residential electricity rates behind Hawaii, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.<\/p>\n Some candidates proposed suspending the state\u2019s gas taxes, which total roughly 70 cents a gallon, while others floated subsidizing in-state tuition at public colleges. A few of the Democrats said they would eliminate private health insurance in favor of a government-run system with no premiums, while the Republicans vowed to increase oil and gas production and reduce regulations.<\/p>\n Democratic leaders have not done enough to bring costs down, said Republican Rosamaria Cerezo, a 57-year-old substitute teacher who planned to vote for Hilton.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth my husband and I have two jobs each just to make ends meet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Primary system creates uncertainty<\/p>\n Earlier in the race, Democrats worried about possibly being locked out of the general election even though they count 45% of the state\u2019s registered voters compared to Republicans\u2019 25%. <\/p>\n The concern was that their relatively crowded field of candidates could split the Democratic vote enough for the two Republicans to advance under the single primary system, which was first used at the statewide level in 2014. But in the race\u2019s final days, it was Republicans who feared a potential lockout.<\/p>\n Brett Christensen, a 55-year-old school safety monitor from Orange who is not registered in a political party but tends to vote Republican, chose Hilton.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s the only viable Republican candidate that can make it to the runoff,\u201d Christensen said.<\/p>\n Candidates squabbled over their records<\/p>\n Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell\u2019s resignation and withdrawal from the race after sexual assault allegations were made against him left an opening for Becerra, who previously had struggled to gain traction. <\/p>\n Highlighting his long political resume, Becerra started raising more money and won the endorsements of powerful labor groups and Latino legislative leaders. <\/p>\n But that momentum also made him a target, and his rivals criticized his leadership as health secretary including his handling of an influx of unaccompanied migrant children<\/a> at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021, when Becerra\u2019s Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for shelters where they were housed. <\/p>\n Democrat Tamara Alton, a 65-year-old marriage and family therapist, was voting for Becerra because of his experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to go with him because I want somebody that knows what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Alton said. <\/p>\n