California Candidates Make Final Push as Early Voting Surges

With California’s Nov. 3 midterm election nearing, Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton campaigned in the Los Angeles area on Nov. 2 as more than 6.4 million ballots had been cast statewide. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman are also locked in a close race.

Becerra Heads Into Election Day With a Strong Lead

Xavier Becerra enters California’s Nov. 3 election with a commanding lead over Republican Steve Hilton, as a final poll put the Democrat ahead by 27 points among likely voters. Becerra campaigned in Los Angeles on Nov. 2 alongside Mayor Karen Bass, while Hilton took his affordability pitch to Compton and again promised to cut gas prices to $3 a gallon.

A survey from the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley, conducted with the Los Angeles Times as a co-sponsor, showed Becerra’s lead had widened from 25 points in September. California’s voters are choosing a successor to term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Becerra would become the state’s first Latino elected governor if he wins.

More than 6.4 million ballots had been cast by Nov. 1, 17% above the number returned by the same point before the 2022 midterm. A Political Data Inc. tracker put Democrats at about 51% of nearly 5.9 million returned ballots early on Nov. 2, compared with 28% for Republicans and 21% for voters with no party preference or other affiliations.

The close Los Angeles mayoral contest is another test for Democrats: Bass and Nithya Raman each drew 40% in a recent poll, while 19% remained undecided. Voters will also consider 14 propositions and races for statewide offices. Hilton’s focus on affordability faces a steep challenge in a state where the latest survey shows voters favoring Becerra by a wide margin.

Hilton Presses Affordability Case as California Votes

Steve Hilton took his cost-of-living pitch to Compton on Nov. 2, the final day before Californians choose a governor, and renewed his pledge to bring gas prices down to $3 a gallon. Democrat Xavier Becerra campaigned in Los Angeles with Mayor Karen Bass. The candidates’ final appeals come as voters weigh the state’s next direction and ballots cast have surpassed 6.4 million.

A survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, conducted with the Los Angeles Times as a co-sponsor, found Becerra ahead of Hilton, 61% to 34% among likely voters. That lead widened from 25 points in September. The poll is a difficult backdrop for Hilton, whose campaign has centered on affordability, even as the candidates have offered sharply different approaches to the state’s costs and policies.

Early voting was running above 2022 levels: the 6.4 million ballots cast by Nov. 1 represented a 17% increase over returns by the comparable point in that midterm. Political Data Inc. counted nearly 5.9 million returned ballots early on Nov. 2, including about 28% from registered Republicans, 51% from Democrats and 21% from voters with no party preference or other affiliations.

The governor’s race is not the only close contest. In Los Angeles, Bass and challenger Nithya Raman each had 40% support in a recent poll, with 19% undecided. Voters will also decide other statewide races and 14 propositions. Hilton’s closing argument puts the cost of living at the center of the choice, while Becerra’s large polling advantage shows the challenge facing the Republican in a state where Democrats have a substantial voter-registration edge.