Conservative commentator Steve Hilton is projected to advance out of California’s top-two gubernatorial “jungle” primary to compete against former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, setting up a faceoff between President Donald Trump’s pick for the job and a longtime Democratic official.

Becerra, who ran a campaign focused on his government experience, was already projected Friday evening to advance to the general election. He’s served as California’s attorney general, a U.S. representative and a member of former President Joe Biden’s Cabinet – expertise he frequently touted during the primary.

That track record, however, has also drawn critiques, including questions about how he handled his role as HHS Secretary and his ties to entrenched corporate interests.

Becerra and his allies have pushed back against these attacks and focused on the upsides of his credentials, citing his prior efforts to sue the Trump administration and to slash prescription drug prices.

“The voters decide who leads California. Not Donald Trump,” read a graphic that Becerra posted on social media on Tuesday evening.

Hilton, meanwhile, has been scrutinized for his relationship with the president, who endorsed him earlier this year. A former Fox News pundit and adviser to conservative U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, Hilton has said he’ll work with Trump on a slew of issues, including immigration enforcement. He’s also echoed Trump’s rhetoric on the need for more voter restrictions and faced backlash for dodging questions about whether Biden won the 2020 election.

Hilton didn’t mention the president in a campaign video on Tuesday; instead, he argued that the state, which hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 2006, was in need of new leadership.

“Change is possible, we just have to vote different,” Hilton said.

Many of California’s voters, who skew Democratic, are likely to be skeptical of his candidacy. In 2024, 58.5% of the state’s voters backed Trump’s opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in the general election.

Hilton ultimately edged out billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer, who ran as a progressive candidate seeking to take on the status quo. A hedge-fund founder-turned-climate advocate, Steyer embraced policies like a statewide billionaire’s tax and efforts to break up utility monopolies. He also spent more than $200 million of his own money on the campaign.

In recent days, Trump has launched baseless attacks on California’s elections as his preferred candidate, reality TV star Spencer Pratt, saw his lead dwindle in the Los Angeles mayoral contest. However, as of press time, Trump has yet to comment further on Hilton’s success in the primary, which directly undermines his claims. Thus far, he’s simply posted a celebratory graphic about Hilton’s advancement on Truth Social.

On Tuesday, Hilton noted that his team hadn’t seen any impropriety in the state’s elections, though like Trump, he also called for new voter ID rules and limits to mail-in voting.

Tuesday’s outcome follows a tumultuous and crowded primary that saw former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a high-profile Democratic candidate, drop out of the race after he faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied. Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) also fielded scrutiny after viral videos raised questions about her temperament and treatment of staff.

For months, Democrats struggled to unite behind a candidate, prompting fears that Republicans could even lock the party’s candidates out of the final ballot.

Whoever wins the election this fall will succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), a vocal antagonist of the president who’s built a prominent national profile. Due to California’s size and economic contributions, the state’s governor has often wielded significant influence beyond its borders.

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