LOS ANGELES (AP) — California heads into Tuesday’s primary election with two high-profile contests marked by unpredictability, as outsider contenders attempt to break through the state’s established Democratic power structure.
The gubernatorial contest features former Fox News television host and British political adviser Steve Hilton calling on Republicans to rally behind his candidacy as he competes for one of two November ballot positions against Democrats billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer and former state attorney general Xavier Becerra.
Los Angeles voters face a tight mayoral competition where reality TV personality Spencer Pratt seeks to transform his underdog campaign into an unexpected victory over Democratic Mayor Karen Bass. The race shows Pratt closely grouped with Nithya Raman, a progressive city council member challenging Bass from the political left.
“We can’t give up on LA,” Pratt declared to cheering supporters during a Sunday block party. “We’ve got to fight.”
While Democrats previously worried their crowded gubernatorial field might allow two Republicans to reach November, Hilton now warns of the reverse possibility — describing an “all-Democratic scenario” as a “doomsday” outcome.
The Republican candidate has urged his primary GOP opponent, county Sheriff Chad Bianco, to withdraw from the race, expressing concern that an exclusively Democratic general election ticket would reduce Republican voter participation statewide and negatively impact congressional and legislative contests.
An outcome where Becerra and Steyer exclude Republicans from November balloting would represent “a disaster for California, it means no change. It’s a disaster for everyone who’s running as a Republican up and down the ballot,” Hilton posted on social platform X.
Although mail-in voting commenced in early May, only 15% of voters had submitted their ballots by Sunday, leaving candidates optimistic about potential last-minute momentum shifts.
In heavily Democratic Los Angeles, Bass faces vulnerability following a troubled first term. While she highlights reduced homelessness numbers, tent encampments and deteriorating recreational vehicles continue appearing throughout many neighborhoods. She also confronts ongoing criticism from the 2025 Palisades Fire, Los Angeles’ most devastating blaze in history. Bass was traveling in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when the fires began. Pratt, who lost his residence in the disaster, has centered his campaign around the fire and citywide recovery efforts.
During Pratt’s neighborhood gathering, Vivian Escalante, a historian residing in the predominantly Hispanic Boyle Heights area near downtown, described declining living conditions spanning several years — including dirtier streets, increased homeless encampments, and diminished community pride in her lifelong neighborhood.
“It’s gotten completely worse,” Escalante stated while wearing a Pratt campaign hat. She accused the Democratic Party of having “completely abandoned us.”
Though officially nonpartisan, the LA contest features Bass as a Democrat alongside Raman, who made a late decision to challenge her former political ally and ranks among leading contenders.
Pratt gained recognition with his wife, Heidi Montag, on “The Hills” and is a registered Republican who has received approval — though not formal endorsement — from President Donald Trump. He has attempted to separate himself from national political issues, emphasizing his focus remains exclusively on municipal concerns.
A University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times, showed Bass in a statistical tie with Raman and Pratt, while other candidates lagged behind. The survey of 1,351 likely voters conducted May 19-24 found no candidate with a statistically meaningful advantage.
Los Angeles faces significant challenges across multiple fronts.
Hollywood employment has migrated for years toward more affordable filming destinations. A downtown revitalization effort collapsed during extended pandemic shutdowns, leaving numerous office buildings struggling to find tenants. The city has consistently failed to deliver essential services, from repairing damaged roads and sidewalks to maintaining operational streetlights.
The gubernatorial race represents the most competitive contest in decades, with more than 50 names appearing on ballots.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom faces legal prohibition against pursuing a third term. Additional replacement candidates include former Democratic U.S. Representative Katie Porter, Democrat Matt Mahan who serves as San Jose mayor, and Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff.
Rebecca Katz, a strategist working with Steyer’s campaign, expressed Sunday that they are “feeling pretty good” while emphasizing the tight competition with a sports analogy: “It’s three candidates for two spots, every possession counts.”
Steyer, a former hedge fund manager turned liberal activist, has established spending records while seeking advancement to November’s contest. Hilton, the former Fox News host endorsed by Trump, has pledged to reduce costs in a state featuring some of America’s highest gasoline prices, utility expenses, and tax rates. Becerra emphasizes his experience as qualification for leading the nation’s second-largest state by population, citing service as the Biden administration’s health secretary, former U.S. House membership, and state attorney general tenure.
Generally, Republican candidates promise dramatic changes following years under Democratic leadership — Democrats haven’t lost a statewide election in two decades while Republicans last won a Los Angeles mayoral race in 1997. Democrats, despite controlling government for years, pledge to reduce costs and continue resisting the Trump administration in various conflicts with Democratic California.
