Xavier Becerra elected governor of California
Democrat Xavier Becerra has won the California governor's race and will become the state's first Latino governor since 1875. He has pledged to resist Donald Trump's agenda.
Xavier Becerra, a Democrat and former US health and human services secretary, has been elected governor of California. He has vowed to resist the agenda of US President Donald Trump through the remainder of Trump's term. The result matters because California is the most populous US state and a Democratic stronghold that has been a centre of opposition to Trump since 2016.
Becerra, 68, is the son of Mexican immigrants and will become California's first Latino governor since 1875. More than 40% of the state's residents are Latino, and nearly one in two children has an immigrant parent. He was the strong favourite against Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate endorsed by Trump.
Pledges and platform
At a victory party in Sacramento, the state capital, Becerra said his mission as governor was to deliver a California people can afford and defend a California they cannot afford to lose. His campaign centred on restoring the "California Dream" and on affordability, including universal access to healthcare. He also reminded voters that, as California attorney general during Trump's first term, he sued the Trump administration 122 times.
Hilton, who was born in Britain, blamed Democratic governance for excessive regulation and high taxes. He promised tax cuts, cheaper fuel and smaller government.
Road to the ballot
Becerra, a former congressman, attorney general and member of President Biden's cabinet, spent much of the race in the low single digits. California's open primary sends the top two vote-winners to the general election regardless of party. Some party officials reportedly encouraged him to quit to avoid splitting the vote and risking a Republican lockout. His fortunes changed when the campaign of former congressman Eric Swalwell collapsed amid sexual assault allegations. Becerra then edged past billionaire progressive Tom Steyer and took a place on the November ballot alongside Hilton.
Challenges ahead
The new governor will face a high cost of living, a housing shortage, homelessness, rising insurance premiums, wildfire risk and widening wealth inequality. Regulating artificial intelligence will also loom large, as Silicon Valley companies and investors have increasingly challenged the state's regulatory ambitions. Becerra succeeds Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited and openly weighing a presidential run.
