Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra has won the California gubernatorial contest, trouncing Donald Trump-endorsed Republican hopeful Steve Hilton in a landslide win.
The Associated Press called the race immediately after polls closed, reflecting Becerra’s undeniable lead over his GOP opponent. The victory was part of Tuesday night’s “blue wave,” in which Democrats reclaimed control of both the House and the Senate.
“What a great night to be a Californian,” Becerra said at a victory party in West Sacramento, CA. “What a great night to be an American.”
In his concession speech, Hilton, 57, congratulated Becerra on his win, but also predicted that a Republican will become governor in 2030.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” he told his opponent.
Becerra, 68, who served as secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden, entered the midterm elections on Tuesday holding a commanding lead of 27 percentage points over Hilton, a Fox News contributor, according to the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.
The decisive victory marks a historic milestone as Becerra becomes the first Latino elected governor of California, and the first Latino to hold the office since Romualdo Pacheco, who was elevated to the post from lieutenant governor in 1875 following the resignation of Gov. Newton Booth.
Becerra will be sworn in on Jan. 4, 2027, replacing the term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who campaigned for his successor on Sunday alongside former Vice President Kamala Harris. Both Newsom and Harris are expected to consider presidential runs in 2028.
Becerra becomes California’s third consecutive Democratic governor, cementing the party’s dominance in the deep-blue state.
California’s 41st governor inherits a tangle of economic challenges anchored by the state’s acute housing affordability crisis.
Housing takes center stage in California governor’s race
In the run-up to the election, Becerra, a former congressman, made housing one of the main pillars of his campaign, promising to declare a housing-shortage state of emergency on his very first day in office and appoint senior officials across state agencies who will be tasked with removing obstacles to construction projects.
Becerra’s ambitious platform includes proposals to enforce 90-day “shot clocks” for building permits to accelerate construction, slash impact fees, streamline reviews for modular homes, and overhaul financing for affordable housing.
“The Becerra win signals that California intends to keep pushing for more housing, with an approach aimed at making building simpler,” says Realtor.com economist Jiayi Xu. “Taken together, it points to California doubling down on a pro-supply approach.”
For the nation’s most populous state, these changes could not come soon enough: on this year’s Realtor.com® State-by-State Housing Report Card, part of the Let America Build campaign, California earned an F grade thanks to its to ultra-low housing affordability score.
Additionally, a Realtor.com analysis of the latest available housing and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data found that the typical household in California earns 49% less than the income needed to buy a median-priced home—a shortfall of $98,292—making it the second-most unaffordable state behind Montana.
In a bid to unlock housing supply, Becerra plans to pursue zoning reforms, expand by-right approvals near job and transit hubs, and introduce more duplexes and small condos to put homeownership within reach of renters.
As part of his plan to tackle California’s entrenched homelessness epidemic through prevention, Becerra has proposed offering rental assistance to vulnerable families and bolstering tenant protections, which he views as more economical than spending thousands of dollars down the line on shelter beds.
Looking ahead, Xu expects Becerra to face significant hurdles, beginning with potential legal challenges and pushbacks on the housing front.
“For example, his plan targets lower impact fees, but some cities rely heavily on those fees to pay for infrastructure, and his campaign has not detailed how that lost revenue would be replaced,” notes the economist. “A clearer plan for cities will be needed to win their cooperation.”
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