California made history Tuesday night. Democrat Xavier Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton to become the state’s next governor, succeeding Gavin Newsom and becoming California’s first Latino elected governor.
The Associated Press called the race almost immediately after polls closed. As of Wednesday morning, Becerra was leading Hilton roughly 64% to 36%, with about 59% of the expected vote counted.
For a state where nearly 40% of residents identify as Latino, the milestone was a long time coming.
Becerra will be the first Latino to occupy the governor’s office since Romualdo Pacheco briefly served in 1875 after assuming the job as lieutenant governor.
But Becerra’s victory is about more than history.
It also ensures that California will remain one of the country’s strongest Democratic counterweights to President Donald Trump during the final two years of his second term.
That role is familiar territory for Becerra.
Before becoming U.S. Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden, he served as California attorney general, where he repeatedly challenged Trump administration policies in court. Before that, he spent more than two decades representing Los Angeles in Congress.
Throughout the campaign, Becerra made that record part of his pitch.
At one campaign event, he told voters bluntly, “Donald Trump is on this ballot,” framing Hilton’s candidacy as an extension of the MAGA agenda even while Hilton attempted to present himself as a California-focused conservative.
Trump had endorsed Hilton, a former Fox News host and onetime adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Hilton ran as an outsider promising to disrupt what he called 16 years of one-party Democratic rule, focusing heavily on California’s high cost of living, gas prices, homelessness, and regulation. His proposals included eliminating the state income tax on the first $150,000 of earnings and dramatically reducing environmental and business regulations.
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The message found an audience.
Just not nearly a large enough one.
California Republicans have not won a statewide office in roughly two decades, and Hilton faced a particularly steep climb in a state where registered Democrats significantly outnumber Republicans and Trump remains deeply unpopular.
Becerra’s route to the nomination was hardly inevitable either.
He spent much of the Democratic primary stuck in single digits and faced pressure from some party leaders to drop out. But the race shifted dramatically after then-Rep. Eric Swalwell exited amid sexual assault allegations that he has denied.
Becerra surged, eventually edging billionaire Tom Steyer for a spot in the general election.
Once he got there, the race became far less dramatic.
Becerra spent much of the fall running what amounted to a front-runner’s campaign, appearing in only one debate and frequently campaigning for other Democrats rather than himself.
Now comes the harder part.
California faces a projected structural budget deficit that could eventually reach roughly $35 billion, while housing affordability, homelessness, wildfire insurance and energy costs remain among the state’s most persistent challenges.
Becerra has proposed expanding mortgage assistance, continuing efforts to streamline housing construction and increasing state funding for wildfire mitigation.
He has also suggested that corporations may need to shoulder more of the cost of Medi-Cal after federal cuts to healthcare programs.
His campaign also floated a more unusual idea: providing low-income Californians with one free hour of electricity each day.
Whether those proposals become defining pieces of his administration remains to be seen.
Becerra ran less as the candidate of dramatic reinvention and more as the candidate of experience.
After eight years of Newsom, California voters apparently decided they weren’t looking for a revolution.
They wanted someone who already knows where all the switches are.
And in Xavier Becerra, California chose a governor who has spent most of his political career fighting from inside the building.
