Becerra advances to California governor runoff, touts Central Valley ties

Xavier Becerra’s advance to the November governor’s race puts Fresno County at the center of his next test: whether a politician who spent the final days of the primary in Fresno can turn Central Valley ties into votes here after Steve Hilton led local early returns.

California’s June 2 all-party primary sent the top two candidates for governor to the general election from a field of about 60 hopefuls. The final statewide tally showed Becerra with 1,720,786 votes, or 26.8%, and Hilton with 1,691,360 votes, or 26.3%. The California Secretary of State says the official results will be certified July 10, after remaining ballots are canvassed.

Becerra spent the closing stretch of the campaign making repeated stops in Fresno County. At a downtown rally at the DoubleTree Hilton, he compared Fresno and the Central Valley to Disneyland, trying to cast the region as more than a campaign stop and more than a political backdrop. He also pitched Fresno County in-home caregivers on higher wages, a direct appeal to one of the county’s largest public workforces.

His broader message leaned on more than 35 years in public office, including as California attorney general and U.S. health secretary. KPBS reported that if elected, Becerra would declare states of emergency to address high energy costs and housing shortages, and freeze home insurance rates. The same reporting noted that Becerra would be the first Latino California governor since the late 1800s, a milestone in a state where nearly a third of voters identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Fresno County did not return the same enthusiasm in early counting. AP’s county snapshot showed Hilton leading here with 58% of votes counted, a reminder that Becerra’s Central Valley message still has to persuade voters who are watching costs, schools, public services and paychecks with equal intensity. Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer had not endorsed a governor candidate as of May 22, leaving the city’s most visible political office on the sidelines as the race tightened.

The campaign also turned rough at the end. Tom Steyer’s campaign aired an attack ad suggesting Becerra could face indictment over a corruption case involving former aides Dana Williamson and Sean McCluskie. Becerra’s campaign threatened legal action and called the ad defamatory, adding a legal edge to a race that now moves into a fall contest where Fresno County’s support, or resistance, may matter as much as any statewide lead.