California primary election results: governor’s race too close to call

The high-stakes gubernatorial race in California remained too close to call on Tuesday night, with early results showing a tight contest in the crowded race. With many ballots still left to be counted, three candidates emerged at the top: Republican Steve Hilton and Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer. And results were clear enough that two Democratic candidates – San Jose mayor Matt Mahan and former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – conceded the race shortly after polls closed. Still, much could change in the days and weeks ahead. In California, where mail-in voting is popular and great pains are taken to verify each ballot, it could take days for the top two candidates in both races to become clear. And many Democrats strategically held on to their ballots until the last minute, further delaying vote counts across the state. Becerra and Hilton expressed confidence in advancing to the general election, while Steyer maintained he is still a contender. “It might take some time to figure out where this is going. We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted. We’re going to give democracy time to work,” Steyer told supporters in San Francisco on Tuesday night. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent mayor Karen Bass advanced to the general election, while former reality TV star Spencer Pratt was leading progressive LA city council member Nithya Raman to land the second spot on November’s ballot. California’s primaries were the most chaotic in recent memory. …