California’s primary count left two major races in motion over the weekend, with the Los Angeles mayoral contest tightening and the race for governor still moving through late ballot updates.
In the governor’s race, Democrat Xavier Becerra had secured a place in the November general election, according to major election projections and unofficial state results. The remaining question was who would claim the second spot under California’s top-two primary system.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass had maintained the lead in the mayoral primary and was positioned to advance to the Nov. 3 runoff. The unresolved fight was for second place, where reality TV personality Spencer Pratt’s early advantage over City Councilmember Nithya Raman had narrowed as more ballots were counted.
L.A. mayoral race tightens after new ballot counts
The mayoral race shifted after election night as late-counted ballots reduced Pratt’s margin over Raman. The source report described Pratt as still ahead in the race for second place, but by a much smaller margin than earlier updates had shown.
Because the final count had not been certified, the results remained provisional. The central question was whether Raman could continue gaining enough ground to pass Pratt before the count closed, or whether Pratt would hold the second runoff position against Bass.
The latest figures cited in the report showed Bass leading the field, with Pratt and Raman separated by about one percentage point. Those numbers were not final results, and the county count was still ongoing.
| Race | Status described in the count | What remained unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles mayor | Bass led the primary field | Whether Pratt or Raman would take second place |
| California governor | Becerra had advanced to November | Whether Hilton or Steyer would take the second general-election spot |
Los Angeles elections often move after election night because mail ballots and other late-counted ballots are added in batches. That pattern made the mayoral race difficult to settle quickly, especially with the second-place margin narrowing.
Why second place matters in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles mayoral primary does not end the race unless one candidate receives a majority. If no candidate clears that threshold, the top two vote-getters move to a runoff.
Bass, the incumbent Democrat seeking another term, had already established the strongest position in the field. Pratt and Raman were competing for the right to face her in November.
Pratt entered the race as a political newcomer with unusually high name recognition. Raman, a sitting councilmember, ran as a more conventional local-government candidate but had to make up ground after the first vote releases.
The source report said Pratt sounded confident after polls closed, while Raman framed her campaign as an underdog effort. Those reactions reflected the early shape of the race, but the later vote count made the second-place contest less settled than it appeared on election night.
Becerra advances in governor’s race
The governor’s race also remained incomplete, though one major part of the November picture had become clearer. Becerra, a former U.S. health secretary and former California attorney general, had advanced from the crowded primary to the general election.
The race is to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is term-limited. California’s system sends the two highest vote-getters to November regardless of party, which means the final matchup can include two candidates from the same party or one candidate from each major party.
Unofficial statewide results available over the weekend showed Becerra ahead of Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Tom Steyer. Hilton, a former Fox News host, was in the strongest position for the second slot, while Steyer remained close enough for the continuing count to matter.
| Candidate | Party preference | Position in unofficial statewide count |
|---|---|---|
| Xavier Becerra | Democratic | First |
| Steve Hilton | Republican | Second |
| Tom Steyer | Democratic | Third |
Becerra’s advancement was notable because he would be positioned to become California’s first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco, who briefly served in the 1870s, if he wins in November. That historical point depends on the general-election outcome and does not change the immediate fact that the primary count was still incomplete.
Hilton and Steyer wait on the remaining count
Hilton led Steyer for the second general-election position in the unofficial statewide count. The gap made the remaining ballot updates important, but it also meant Steyer needed the later vote to move strongly in his direction.
Hilton spent the week presenting himself as a change candidate and criticizing the pace of California’s ballot counting. Election officials, however, continued to process ballots under the state’s normal post-election timetable.
Steyer, a billionaire environmental advocate and former presidential candidate, remained in third place in the count described by the source report and later unofficial results. A Becerra-Steyer matchup would create a Democrat-versus-Democrat general election. A Becerra-Hilton matchup would give Republicans a place on the November ballot for governor.
That distinction is why the second slot carried more than procedural significance. It would shape not only the campaign’s partisan frame but also the policy argument voters see through the fall.
When more results are expected
California’s count does not end on election night. Mail ballots, provisional ballots and other valid ballots continue to be processed during the canvass period, and unofficial results can change before certification.
The source report listed expected update windows from several large counties, including Los Angeles County, Alameda County, Orange County, Riverside County, Sacramento County, San Bernardino County, San Francisco, Santa Clara County and Ventura County.
Those county updates matter because both races depended on large batches of ballots that were still being counted after election night. In statewide contests, the order and timing of county reports can temporarily shift the visible standings. In a close local race, even a single county update can sharply change the margin.
For voters watching the results, the important distinction is between projected outcomes and certified results. Projections can identify likely winners before every ballot is counted, but certification is the formal endpoint. Until then, both the L.A. mayoral second-place race and the final governor matchup remained dependent on the continuing count.