California primary count continues, governor and Los Angeles races tighten

California’s biggest primary contests were still unresolved as ballots kept arriving and being processed, turning a single election night into a weeks-long test of turnout, party coalitions and the state’s national weight. With more than 23 million registered voters, California was still counting vote-by-mail, provisional and other ballots during the canvass period, and county elections offices were required to keep reporting updates. Final official results were due July 3, 2026, with state certification set for July 10.

The marquee race was the crowded contest to replace termed-out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a field of about 60 candidates that underscored how California’s top-two all-party system can scramble the usual partisan script. Early returns showed Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra leading, with Tom Steyer in third, but the structure of the race meant only two would advance to November. That alone made the governor’s contest a warning sign for national Democrats: in a fractured primary, ideological and regional splits can create a November matchup that looks far different from the one party leaders expected.

The Los Angeles mayor’s race carried its own national signal. CBS News projected Karen Bass would advance to the November election, while Spencer Pratt and City Council member Nithya Raman were among the challengers fighting for the second runoff slot. The contest drew broad attention after criticism of Bass over her handling of the January 2025 Palisades Fire, and it is likely to feed a larger Democratic argument about how urban leaders answer to voters on competence, disaster response, crime and homelessness.

The House picture may matter even more for the midterm map. California’s 2026 congressional primaries are being held under new district boundaries passed by voters in 2025, which means several races will be a fresh test of how the redraw altered the political terrain. A special election in California’s 1st Congressional District is being run under the current boundaries, adding one more race that can reveal which messages and turnout patterns are breaking through. With the House balance likely to run through a handful of battlegrounds, California’s results could help define the Democrats’ strategy as much as they reflect it.