Since the June 2 primary, California's governor's race has produced one certain result and one ongoing cliffhanger — and both stories are being distorted depending on which outlet you're reading.

What We Actually Know

Xavier Becerra is in. The AP projected his advance to the November general election on Friday, June 5. With approximately two-thirds of ballots counted, Becerra holds roughly 27% of the vote, according to CalMatters.

Steve Hilton, the Trump-endorsed former Fox News host, sits in second at about 26.2%. Billionaire Tom Steyer is third at 20.2%. Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco sits at 11.2%. Democrat Katie Porter is essentially done at 4.5%, according to the Daily Signal.

California's top-two primary system sends the top two finishers — regardless of party — to the November ballot. So the second slot is still genuinely open.

The Count Is Slow. Here's Why

California accepts mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and received up to seven days later. It's California law. Votes are still legally arriving right now, on June 5, three days after election night.

According to the Guardian, approximately 3.5 million ballots remain uncounted. Those late-arriving mail ballots historically skew more Democratic, which is why Steyer's camp hasn't quit. If that pattern holds, Hilton's second-place position is not safe.

The New York Times, per Breitbart's John Nolte, called the count "meticulous." Florida counted roughly 10 million votes in hours on election night. Los Angeles County had counted only 64% of its ballots three days in. That speed gap is notable and worth examining as a system issue.

Trump, the DOJ, and the Fraud Claims

President Trump declared Hilton the winner prematurely and accused California of election fraud — without presenting specific evidence, according to the Guardian. "There's BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California," Trump wrote at 1:05 a.m. Thursday.

The Justice Department sent a federal prosecutor to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles, and a Trump-appointed assistant U.S. attorney told reporters his office was conducting "multiple election fraud investigations," according to the Guardian.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville went further on the Alex Marlow Show, claiming Democrats would "come up with the amount of votes they need" — explicitly drawing parallels to 2020 claims about halted counting. Tuberville offered no specific evidence of wrongdoing in this race.

A ballot acceptance window extending a week past Election Day is unusual and creates legitimate questions about when a race is settled. Those deserve debate as policy. Calling it "cheating" without proof is a different claim entirely.

Who Is Becerra, Really?

The mainstream media has leaned hard on the word "moderate" to describe Becerra. His record tells a different story.

As California attorney general, Becerra filed 15 charges against pro-life undercover journalists David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt in March 2017 for exposing Planned Parenthood's tissue procurement practices, according to the Daily Signal. That prosecution dragged on nine years before a settlement in January 2025 that resulted in no jail time, no fines, and an expunged case.

Becerra also defended California's Reproductive FACT Act, which the Supreme Court struck down 5-4 in 2018 as unconstitutional compelled speech targeting pro-life pregnancy centers. He fought in court to force Americans for Prosperity and the Thomas More Law Center to hand over donor lists — a case the Supreme Court also ruled against him on, according to the Daily Signal.

Becerra is a career politician who used law enforcement power against political opponents and lost at the Supreme Court twice doing it. The "moderate" label doesn't fit the record.

The November Matchup: What's at Stake

If Hilton advances, CalMatters notes Becerra would be heavily favored. California Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two-to-one, and Trump's approval in the state is low. A Becerra vs. Hilton race is winnable for Republicans in theory — but the numbers are brutal.

If Steyer somehow catches Hilton, California gets a full-on Democratic civil war: the establishment Becerra versus the billionaire progressive. That race would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and wouldn't settle until November.

Either way, California's slow-count system means the rest of the country could be waiting weeks just to know who's on the ballot.

The central question for voters is whether any of the candidates running will actually address housing costs, homelessness, and a business climate driving people out of the state. Hilton ran on that. Becerra ran on fighting Trump. Voters will decide in November which message they want.

First, someone has to finish counting.