In-person Election Day voting concluded in California at 8 p.m. But vote-counting will likely take awhile.
Comparable primaries from past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In the 2024 primaries, the Associated Press first reported results at 11:08 p.m. Eastern Time, or eight minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 6:01 a.m. ET, with only about half of total votes counted. The count reached 99% of total votes about two weeks later on March 20 at 7:47 p.m. ET.
The race for governor
Two Democrats and a Republican were leading in early returns Tuesday in the crowded primary for governor, a campaign that tested voters’ appetites for an experienced politician or candidates promising change.
Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, pitched himself as a steady leader able to work the levers of government. Meanwhile fellow Democrat and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer promised progressive change. And Republican Steve Hilton, a conservative commentator and former British political adviser, said he would give the famously liberal state a badly needed reset after years of one-party rule.
The governor’s office typically attracts some of the highest-wattage names in politics, but not this year.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla took a pass on the race. And with current Gov. Gavin Newsom barred from seeking a third term, the campaign to succeed him turned into a sprawling, often messy contest.
Under California’s primary system, all candidates appear on a single ballot, and the top two finishers advance to the November general election, regardless of party. The absence of a front-runner incentivized virtually anyone with political ambition and a modicum of organization to join the race, leaving Democrats worried that their candidates would divide the vote and ultimately be shut out of the fall campaign. But those fears have eased in the primary’s closing weeks, with the party now expecting to secure at least one slot on the November ballot.
The results could offer insight about how voters are feeling in a state where Democrats have dominated statewide elections for two decades.
“We cannot let this chance for change slip away,” said Hilton, a former Fox News host who has Trump’s endorsement.
California hasn’t had a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011.
Hilton said he can win if he and one of his Democratic rivals advance to the general election in November. He’s pledging to cut regulations and reduce costs in the state.
“This state needs change, and it can’t be provided by a Democrat,” he told reporters in Southern California about an hour before polls were set to close.
Steyer says he’ll ‘wait til every ballot is counted’
The billionaire climate activist told supporters he and his backers “know we finished really strong.”
Steyer pledged to advance progressive policies like universal healthcare and aggressive climate policy, ideas he reiterated as votes were still being tallied.
“We should have a system based on fairness, not on asking for fairness,” he said.
Steyer’s campaign spent or booked more than $203 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio, yielding accusations from some that he had tried to buy the election.
But Steyer noted that major corporate interests, including a major California utility, dumped money into defeating him because he’s the candidate willing to take them on.
“I welcome their hatred,” Steyer said.
Becerra says he overcame underdog status
Speaking to supporters Tuesday, Becerra noted he was once counted out. Now he’s among three contenders leading in early returns for two spots in the November general election.
Becerra, a former state attorney general and federal health secretary, shared his personal story as the son of two immigrants. He’d be the state’s first Latino governor since the late 1800s.
He said he wants to lead a state that “regularly makes the improbable seem inevitable.”
Mahan campaign ends
Democrat Matt Mahan acknowledged to supports shortly after the polls closed that he wouldn’t be moving on to the November general election.
Mahan entered the race in January to major fanfare from tech and business leaders who poured millions into his campaign. But he struggled to translate that into broader name recognition and support.
Mahan said that his work on homelessness and housing helped improve the campaign and that he would continue to make his voice heard for the well-being of Californians.
“Our mission has only just begun,” he told supporters.
Spending shatters records
This year is already shaping up to be costly for elections across the country, with candidates in Texas, Illinois, Kentucky and Georgia setting spending records within their state or office.
But nothing comes close to the amount spent by billionaire and California gubernatorial candidate Steyer. He has spent over $200 million of his own money to fund his campaign, setting the record for both the costliest campaign this year and in California gubernatorial history.
California’s voters: By the numbers
California stands as the most populous state in the country with a citizen voting-age population of 26.1 million in 2024. Its electorate is also one of the most diverse. Nearly one-third of California voters identify as Hispanic or Latino, which is the second-highest share among all U.S. states. Asians make up 15% of the state’s voters.
The state stands out economically as well with a median household income of $102,870, over $20,000 more than the U.S. median.
Despite its reputation as a Democratic stronghold, California’s political landscape is far from monolithic. Rising housing costs, immense income inequality and regional identities contribute to complex cross-sections of political identities that complicate sweeping state narratives.
Scott Wiener advances in bid to replace Nancy Pelosi
The California state senator joined the scramble among Democrats to replace the retiring former House speaker.
Pelosi is a San Francisco political institution. The competition has been fierce among Democrats to replace her in the safely Democratic 11th District seat.