Who's winning the California governor race? See live election results below
LOS ANGELES -- With the polls closed, all eyes are on the California governor's race.
With 50% of the votes in, Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra were neck and neck, with both candidates at 27% and 26%, respectively. Tom Steyer was in third with 20%, followed by Chad Bianco at 11%. The remaining candidates had under 10% of the vote each.
Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa dropped out of the race early in the evening as the early results were announced. After more of the votes were counted, Katie Porter also conceded.
Two polls released in the last week showed the same candidate in first place: former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. But who will get that second spot in the runoff is a toss-up.
It's likely to be either former Fox News host Steve Hilton or billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer. For weeks, Hilton has tried to get the other Republican in the race, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, to drop out and endorse him. Bianco responded on social media, writing, "It's clear that Steve Hilton supporters should unite and support me. While they're at it, Becerra, Steyer, Porter, Mahan, Thurmond, AND Villaraigosa supporters should vote for me too."
Steyer has put more than $216 million of his personal fortune into his campaign.
Here's a look at the major candidates running for California governor
Chad Bianco (R)
Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, is one of the two biggest names running on the Republican ticket. He's been sheriff since 2019 and is a well-known figure in the law enforcement community.
"I am the antithesis to California state government because I am going to take a nuclear bomb into that building and absolutely destroy everything that they do to us behind closed doors," he told Eyewitness News during a recent one-on-one interview.
Although he's been elected by the voters twice, Bianco says he's not a politician -- which is why he believes his campaign for California governor is resonating, as reflected in the polls.
Steve Hilton (R)
Hilton is a former Fox News host and a vocal supporter of Trump. He was born in the UK where he served as director of strategy for former Prime Minister David Cameron, and then moved to California in 2012.
He became a U.S. citizen in 2021.
Hilton blames climate change policies for the housing and affordability crisis in California, saying the policies have made it more costly to build. He added that he doesn't believe climate change played a role in last year's destructive and deadly wildfires.
"It's a complete failure of Democrat policies, and to blame it all on climate change is an insult to everybody who lost their home," Hilton said.
Eyewitness News asked Hilton if he supports Trump's tactics for immigration enforcement, to which he said, "Everybody supports."
"I can't imagine a single person who doesn't support what's been done to close our southern border and stop this absolutely outrageous undermining of the law we saw in the Biden years. I'm a legal immigrant, and I've said many times, I'm the candidate of the legal immigrant community for the legal immigrant community," Hilton said.
Tom Steyer (D)
Steyer is a billionaire who wants billionaires to pay their fair share. He said California would not lose its competitive edge even if billionaires leave to shield their private wealth.
He also addressed a proposed one-time 5% wealth tax that has not yet made the ballot.
"In theory, I support it, and I'm going to wait and see what happens before I decide specifically if there is a wealth tax on the ballot," he said.
Steyer also wants a special election to rewrite Proposition 13's tax limits for commercial properties.
"Large businesses that own huge office buildings and huge malls have been getting a tax loophole for over 40 years that makes no sense," Steyer said.
He added that the state remains an excellent place to start and grow companies but said controlling housing and health care costs plays a role.
"If we can control housing costs, and if we can control health care costs, that is going to make this a much easier place to do business," he said.
Xavier Becerra (D)
Becerra served as the Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Biden -- the first Latino in that role. Becerra also served as California Attorney General from 2017 to 2021, and before that was in Congress.
He said some of his top priorities include building more housing, healthcare, and education.
"I am not running on inflated promises," he said in a video posted to his X account. "I am running on my record. Right now, I can tell you, I've taken on a reckless federal government. I have taken on ruthless corporations. I have defended workers' wages. I have defended women's reproductive rights. I have defended immigrants' rights up and down the state of California."
ABC News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.