A Republican is leading the California gubernatorial primary. Read that sentence again. Let it wash over you. Republican Steve Hilton pulled 27.6% of the vote on Tuesday night, putting him ahead of former Biden Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who trailed at 25.6% with 56% of ballots counted.
Callifornia. Republican. Leading. Somebody check on Gavin Newsom.
As reported by Just The News, the June 3 primary results show Hilton comfortably out front in the nation's bluest state. Democratic Rep. Tom Steyer landed a distant third at 19.8%, while Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco grabbed 11.2%. That means two Republicans combined for nearly 39% of the vote in a state that treats conservatives like an endangered species — the kind they don't want to protect.
This wasn't supposed to happen. California is the state that gave us Kamala Harris, mandatory EV mandates, and $7 gas. It's the progressive laboratory where every left-wing fever dream gets a test run. And now voters there looked at the menu of Democrats and said, "Actually, no thanks."
Becerra was supposed to waltz into the governor's mansion. The man ran Biden's HHS. He had the establishment lane all to himself. Instead he's eating Steve Hilton's dust while Tom Steyer — a billionaire who spent years buying his way into Democratic politics — couldn't even crack 20%.
The real story isn't just that Hilton is winning. It's what it means. Californians are living under the direct consequences of progressive governance — rampant homelessness, an affordability crisis, crime that the state pretends doesn't exist, and an economy that punishes anyone who actually works for a living. At some point, even the most loyal blue-state voter looks around and asks, "Is this really working?"
Tuesday night was the answer. No, it is not.
And it's not just the governor's race. Over in Los Angeles, Republican Spencer Pratt — yes, that Spencer Pratt — pulled 29.9% in the mayoral race against Democrat Nithya Raman's 22.8%. When a reality TV star is beating professional Democrats in LA, the tectonic plates are shifting.
There's a long road between a primary lead and the governor's mansion, and California Democrats will throw everything they've got at Hilton between now and November. But the fact that we're even having this conversation tells you everything about where the country is headed. If California isn't safe for Democrats, nowhere is.
Welcome to the realignment, folks. Even the Golden State is starting to see the light.
