Even though the general election — including the vote for governor — is still set for November 3 this fall, the possible outcome is being shaped right now as results from the primaries held on June 2 are being tallied. A crowded field of more than ten candidates took the stage, with Democrats led by Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, and a handful of Republicans who actually resonated with voters, notably Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. It’s important to remember that in California, this is a top-two primary: the two highest vote-getters advance, regardless of party.
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At the moment this article is being written, roughly 58–60 percent of the votes are counted, and the numbers are exceeding even the most optimistic expectations for the GOP. For more than a decade, the Golden State has been written off as a deep-blue fortress where any Republican is an automatic underdog with zero shot at real success. Not anymore. These early returns signal a genuine shift in the political winds.
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton — endorsed by President Trump — sits atop the leaderboard with an eye-opening 28 percent of the vote. Democrats claim the next two spots: Xavier Becerra at 25 percent and Tom Steyer at 20 percent. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a proud law-and-order patriot, trails with a respectable 11 percent. Preliminary or not, the picture is crystal clear. In November, Californians will choose between patriotic “California First” conservative Steve Hilton and progressive standard-bearer Xavier Becerra.
Pundits in the coastal media bubble will insist this is still a done deal for the Blue wave. After all, Democrat voters were simply split among a dozen candidates in the primary; come November they’ll consolidate behind one. That’s a fair point on paper. But things are not that simple. This primary has exposed something far more important: the GOP is gaining real, measurable ground across California.
Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco together captured nearly 40 percent of the vote so far. Democrat candidates combined for roughly 50 percent. That’s a gap of less than 10 points in a state long considered untouchable for conservatives. Isn’t that the clearest sign yet that Democrats are losing ground? They haven’t been defeated, but the erosion has begun. There is now a credible chance that November’s results could start painting the Golden State red instead of blue.
The reasons are staring every Californian in the face. Years of reckless DEI and woke policies have infiltrated every corner of life — not just social services and education, but production, public safety, and healthcare. Merit has been sidelined for ideology, and the results have been disastrous. Add to that the unprecedented housing crisis, entirely of Democrats’ own making after decades of failed governance, sky-high taxes, and regulatory strangulation that have priced working families out of the state they love.
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Californians are exhausted by skyrocketing homelessness, failing schools that prioritize political correctness over reading, writing, and arithmetic, and a cost of living that forces families to flee to red states. They remember when California was the land of opportunity, not the land of excuses. Steve Hilton’s message of putting California First — secure borders, safe streets, affordable energy, and economic sanity — resonates because it speaks directly to that frustration.
The old rules no longer apply. A former Fox News host backed by President Trump leading the field in the nation’s largest blue state isn’t just a headline; it’s a warning shot to the Democrat establishment. The tide is turning. Californians are waking up, and the November ballot will give them the clearest choice in a generation: more of the same progressive failure, or a chance to put California First again.
The process has started. The numbers prove it. And for the first time in years, conservatives have every reason to believe the Golden State might just be turning red.
Mike Robertson is a contributor to American Thinker. Follow him on X at @Mike_for_MAGA and Reddit.
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