Early California returns show Hilton, Pratt ahead as ballots remain uncounted

Steve Hilton and Spencer Pratt had the kind of early numbers that can briefly make Republicans look stronger than California usually does, but the state’s ballot count was still far from finished and the margins could tighten as mail ballots come in from the counties most likely to move late.

In the governor’s open-seat contest, Hilton led with 1,425,041 votes, or 28%, followed by Xavier Becerra with 1,327,913 votes, or 26%, and Tom Steyer with 1,026,837 votes, or 20%, with about 56% of precincts reporting. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot run again, and under California’s top-two primary system the two highest vote-getters advance to November regardless of party. That means the early question is not whether the race ends in June, but whether Hilton can keep his edge as more ballots from heavily mailed, urban counties are processed.

Hilton, a former Fox News host and the top Republican in the field, benefited from a fast count that often reflects election-night ballots and early returns. But California officials said final results can take days or weeks because mail ballots arriving up to seven days after Election Day can still be processed, and county election offices have up to 30 days to complete the official canvass. That timetable matters because late-counted ballots have repeatedly narrowed early Republican advantages in past California contests.

The same pattern was visible in Los Angeles, where Mayor Karen Bass faced 13 challengers, for 14 candidates total, in a race dominated by wildfire recovery, homelessness, public safety and the city budget. With about 62% of votes counted, Bass had 183,701 votes, or 35.0%, Spencer Pratt had 157,116, or 29.9%, and Nithya Raman had 119,809, or 22.8%. Bass had advanced to a runoff, but a second candidate had not yet been formally called when those numbers were reported.

The suspense there centered on how much room remained in Los Angeles County, where about 713,000 ballots were still left to count in one live update. That is the kind of reserve that can change the shape of a close mayoral contest, especially when ballots arrive late from mail-heavy neighborhoods and are added after election night totals have settled into place.

The broader political backdrop is familiar in California: voters approved Proposition 14 in 2010, creating the top-two open primary that routinely produces slow counts and late shifts. Early returns showed Hilton and Pratt ahead, but the final picture will depend on whether the remaining ballots come from places that reinforce that Republican strength or trim it back as the canvass runs its course.