Pleas and political attacks fill the home stretch of California governor's race
Key takeaways
- The top candidates for California governor crisscrossed the state Friday, all venturing to friendly political territory to woo voters and undermine their rivals as the June 2 primary election fast approaches.
- The front-running Democrats, former Biden administration Cabinet member Xavier Becerra and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, rallied one of their party’s most influential constituencies: union members.
- Steyer’s had good reason to go after Becerra.
Xavier Becerra, former California attorney general and U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services who’s the front-runner in the race for California governor, speaks to supporters at the UFCW Local 1167 Union Hall in Bloomington on Friday as he barnstorms the state before the June 2 primary election. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) By Nicole Nixon, Seema Mehta and Dakota Smith May 29, 2026 4:38 PM PT 7 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
The top candidates for California governor crisscrossed the state Friday, all venturing to friendly political territory to woo voters and undermine their rivals as the June 2 primary election fast approaches.
The top Republican in the race, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, spent the day railing against transgender athletes before a high school track event in the Central Valley, an event sure to appeal to his base of President Trump supporters.