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Governor · open seat · All California races

California

Solid D
Compare
Xavier Becerra
Democratic
>99 in 100
50–50chance of winning, out of 100
Steve Hilton
Republican
<1 in 100

Xavier Becerra wins in >99 of 100 simulations.

The polling average has Xavier Becerra +21.7 across 4 polls; partisan lean, the national environment and incumbency point to Xavier Becerra +27.6. Polls get 91% of the weight 15 days out.

Where the result could land

Every simulated outcome, grouped in 2-point steps. Projected margin Becerra +22.2; 80 in 100 fall between Becerra +17.1 and Becerra +27.2.

Hilton +30Hilton +20Hilton +10Becerra +10Becerra +20Becerra +30Tie

The candidates

Xavier Becerra
Democratic · American attorney and politician (born 1958)

Xavier Becerra is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services under President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Becerra previously served as the 33rd attorney general of California from 2017 to 2021 and as a U.S. Wikipedia

Official website ↗
Steve Hilton
Republican · British-American political advisor and TV host (born 1969)

Stephen Glenn Charles Hilton is a British-born American conservative political commentator, former political adviser, and contributor for the Fox News Channel. He served as director of strategy for British prime minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2012. Wikipedia

Ballot list and short bios from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); websites from Wikidata.

Polls

The polling average stands at Becerra +21.7 across 4 polls testing Xavier Becerra against Steve Hilton.

Hilton +3.9 since Jun 17, 2026
Hilton +40Hilton +20EvenBecerra +20Becerra +40Jul 1Aug 1Sep 1Oct 1

Line: weighted average after adjustments; band: 95% range of the average; dots: individual polls after adjustments.

PollsterDatesSampleResultAdjustedWeight
SurveyUSAA−
for KGTV (San Diego), The San Diego Union Tribune
Sep 15–Sep 20742 LVBecerra +22.0Becerra +22.20.71
UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies
for Los Angeles Times
Sep 15–Sep 204,512 LVBecerra +25.0Becerra +24.70.68
University of California Berkeley Jack Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research/Verasight/TrueDot
for Politico
Sep 11–Sep 161,983 LVBecerra +18.0Becerra +19.40.73
UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies
for Los Angeles Times
Aug 3–Aug 92,310 LVBecerra +18.0Becerra +18.30.27
Kreate StrategiesJun 13–Jun 17900 LVBecerra +25.0Becerra +27.00.00

Chance of winning over time

How this race’s odds have moved as polls and the national environment changed.

No change over the past 3 months
020406080100Aug 1Sep 1Oct 1

Out of 100. Today: Becerra 100, Hilton 0.

What’s driving the forecast

The model blends each estimate by how much to trust it right now. Polls get 91% of the weight, 15 days out.

Polling average (after adjustments)Becerra +21.7±3.6 sampling range; effective 3.6 polls
Partisan lean (Cook PVI, 2026 lines) D+12.0roughly 24 points of margin vs. the nation
National environment D+9.6generic ballot + presidential approval
Incumbencynoneopen seat or incumbent not on ballot
Fundamentals estimateBecerra +27.6±14 typical error
Expert ratings (average)Becerra +22.0used only in the “+ Expert ratings” version
ForecastBecerra +22.2±4.0 standard deviation, including 2.3 for movement before Election Day

All three versions

  • Polls only: Xavier Becerra >99 in 100 (Solid D)
  • Polls + fundamentals: Xavier Becerra >99 in 100 (Solid D)
  • Polls + fundamentals + experts: Xavier Becerra >99 in 100 (Solid D)

Published ratings

Other forecasters’ ratings, as listed on Wikipedia. Shown for comparison; they feed only the “+ Expert ratings” version.

Cook: Solid DDDHQ: Safe DFox News: Solid DInside Elections: Solid DRCP: Solid DSabato: Safe DSilver Bulletin: Solid D

County map

Counties colored by the 2024 presidential vote; on election night this switches to the live count in this race.

San Benito County, 2024 president: Democratic +12.6 (27,649 votes)Shasta County, 2024 president: Republican +36.5 (88,900 votes)Sierra County, 2024 president: Republican +24.2 (1,754 votes)Fresno County, 2024 president: Republican +4.4 (325,994 votes)Amador County, 2024 president: Republican +27.8 (22,402 votes)El Dorado County, 2024 president: Republican +12.0 (111,890 votes)Monterey County, 2024 president: Democratic +29.9 (146,718 votes)San Bernardino County, 2024 president: Republican +2.1 (761,714 votes)Tehama County, 2024 president: Republican +41.8 (26,532 votes)Nevada County, 2024 president: Democratic +12.2 (62,132 votes)Tuolumne County, 2024 president: Republican +21.9 (28,810 votes)Santa Barbara County, 2024 president: Democratic +26.7 (184,715 votes)Trinity County, 2024 president: Republican +9.4 (5,645 votes)Stanislaus County, 2024 president: Republican +11.0 (197,472 votes)Colusa County, 2024 president: Republican +28.2 (7,021 votes)Alpine County, 2024 president: Democratic +32.0 (738 votes)Siskiyou County, 2024 president: Republican +19.2 (21,489 votes)Del Norte County, 2024 president: Republican +16.4 (10,564 votes)Inyo County, 2024 president: Republican +3.0 (8,951 votes)San Joaquin County, 2024 president: Republican +0.9 (263,671 votes)Imperial County, 2024 president: Republican +0.9 (54,025 votes)Calaveras County, 2024 president: Republican +28.1 (26,479 votes)Butte County, 2024 president: Republican +3.1 (94,523 votes)Madera County, 2024 president: Republican +20.8 (54,624 votes)Ventura County, 2024 president: Democratic +15.1 (387,595 votes)Orange County, 2024 president: Democratic +2.7 (1,390,965 votes)Kern County, 2024 president: Republican +21.1 (283,246 votes)Contra Costa County, 2024 president: Democratic +37.9 (528,904 votes)Kings County, 2024 president: Republican +23.0 (41,501 votes)Mendocino County, 2024 president: Democratic +26.8 (39,216 votes)Sonoma County, 2024 president: Democratic +46.2 (251,426 votes)Yuba County, 2024 president: Republican +25.8 (30,070 votes)Merced County, 2024 president: Republican +4.4 (86,392 votes)Tulare County, 2024 president: Republican +20.7 (138,271 votes)Sacramento County, 2024 president: Democratic +19.7 (656,626 votes)Solano County, 2024 president: Democratic +23.0 (189,834 votes)San Francisco County, 2024 president: Democratic +64.8 (402,964 votes)Mariposa County, 2024 president: Republican +21.1 (9,509 votes)Marin County, 2024 president: Democratic +63.9 (144,113 votes)Sutter County, 2024 president: Republican +31.4 (39,336 votes)Lassen County, 2024 president: Republican +54.0 (11,371 votes)Riverside County, 2024 president: Republican +1.3 (940,405 votes)Plumas County, 2024 president: Republican +16.9 (10,067 votes)Santa Clara County, 2024 president: Democratic +40.0 (750,433 votes)Placer County, 2024 president: Republican +8.5 (234,809 votes)San Luis Obispo County, 2024 president: Democratic +10.9 (150,766 votes)San Mateo County, 2024 president: Democratic +50.3 (330,510 votes)Mono County, 2024 president: Democratic +20.3 (6,064 votes)San Diego County, 2024 president: Democratic +16.8 (1,477,786 votes)Napa County, 2024 president: Democratic +34.9 (65,549 votes)Alameda County, 2024 president: Democratic +53.6 (669,800 votes)Yolo County, 2024 president: Democratic +36.2 (92,589 votes)Lake County, 2024 president: Republican +1.4 (26,759 votes)Los Angeles County, 2024 president: Democratic +32.9 (3,728,427 votes)Glenn County, 2024 president: Republican +34.9 (10,442 votes)Santa Cruz County, 2024 president: Democratic +54.4 (134,135 votes)Humboldt County, 2024 president: Democratic +28.4 (64,228 votes)Modoc County, 2024 president: Republican +46.7 (4,016 votes)
Color shows the 2024 presidential margin in each county. Hover or tap a county for its numbers.

2024 results: Fox News 2024 county results, compiled by Tony McGovern (github.com/tonmcg/US_County_Level_Election_Results_08-24). Not authoritative.

Rules and notes

  • Top-two primary state: the two general-election candidates can be from the same party.
  • Term-limited

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