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California stands to decide on Tuesday which top two candidates will advance to the closely-watched gubernatorial general election in November, a race that will decide who succeeds California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom.
The open primary free-for-all in the Golden State, often described as a “jungle primary,” is an extremely crowded field. As it stands on Tuesday, two Republican candidates have stood out from the race: Trump-endorsed political commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
“CALIFORNIA: Vote today for Steve Hilton for Governor,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday, in a final bid to push Hilton across the finish line.
In the California primary system, the top two candidates will advance to the November election, regardless of party.
The president continued, “[Hilton] will work with me and the Federal Government, the money will flow because I have confidence in him (but not any of the others!), and we will MAKE CALIFORNIA GREAT AGAIN. Steve Hilton will NEVER let you down. VOTE NOW!”
According to a recent survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, the leading candidates in the gubernatorial primary are Democrat Xavier Becerra (23 percent), an attorney and the former Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration, followed by Steve Hilton (20 percent), Democrat billionaire Tom Steyer (15 percent), and Chad Bianco (13 percent).
In another poll from Emerson College, data found that Becerra led the field by 19 percent against Hilton’s 17 percent. In their survey, Tom Steyer was tied with Hilton at 17 percent, with Bianco sitting at 11 percent of the potential vote.
President Trump endorsed Steve Hilton in April, following months of speculation about which Republican candidate would snag the president’s coveted support.
“He is a truly fine man, one who has watched as this once great State has gone to Hell,” President Trump wrote in his endorsement statement.