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Midterm elections four weeks away
Political science professor David McCuan tells us the key races we should keep our eye on as we are four weeks away from the midterm elections.
Californians will elect the state's next leader on Nov. 3, deciding between veteran Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican newcomer Steve Hilton. The election marks the first time a Republican candidate has been on California's gubernatorial ballot in two decades, dating back to when former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected in 2006.
Becerra is a familiar name to many Californians, serving in public office for 25 years. The 67-year-old served as the state's attorney general beginning in 2016 and later, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary under former President Joe Biden. In the years prior, he served in California's State Assembly, before being elected to Congress in 1992.
Who is Xavier Becerra?
The backstory:
A Northern California native, Becerra was raised in Sacramento by parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. He was the first person in his family to earn a four-year degree, studying economics at Stanford University, later graduating from Stanford Law School.
He's said his family's immigrant background has mirrored his "underdog" campaign to become California's next governor, the Associated Press reported, alluding to the slow build to garner voters' support before surging ahead prior to the June primary.
"My parents came to California with $12 in their pockets. They built a life they were proud of," Becerra said in his 2025 campaign announcement. "That’s the promise of California, and I will fight to ensure it’s still within reach for everyone."
Becerra has committed to maintaining the state's staunch opposition to President Donald Trump, pointing toward his lengthy record of suing the GOP administration as California attorney general.
As the state's top prosecutor, Becerra sued the Trump administration over 120 times, this news organization reported in 2025, taking on Republican efforts to derail reproductive rights, health care and immigrant protections.
"Whether defending workers against wage theft or looking out for families in need of a hospital for their kids, standing up for DREAMers or fighting for clean air and water, I’ve always been driven by the California values instilled in me by my parents," Becerra said when he launched his campaign.
Becerra faced scrutiny earlier this year when his former political aides faced charges linked to a scheme to steal campaign funds from the Democrat while he served as U.S. health secretary. Gubernatorial rivals pointed to the fraud case ahead of the June primary, though Becerra reiterated he was not implicated in the scandal.
Becerra saw pushback from his Republican rival on the debate stage earlier this month – Hilton pointing to his actions surrounding migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 while Becerra served as health secretary.
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Watch: Full interview with Xavier Becerra, candidate for California governor
KTVU's Greg Lee sits down with gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Becerra's priorities
Becerra's top priorities, according to his campaign website, include: Health care, taking on the Trump Administration, affordable housing, economic affordability, clean energy, disaster preparedness, artificial intelligence, homelessness and wildfire preparedness.
California polling ahead of midterm election
By the numbers:
In a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, Becerra led the governor's race by a significant margin – 60% of surveyed voters favored the Democrat, while 38% favored Republican Hilton. The poll surveyed 1,745 Californians between Sept. 4-10.
In another poll by UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies, data showed 58% of voters supported Becerra, while 33% supported Hilton. The Berkeley poll was among a larger sample of voters, surveying 6,989 Californians.
About 45% of California voters are registered as Democrats, while 25% are registered as Republicans, according to the most recent data from the Secretary of State. The remaining voters are registered as either "no party preference" or "other."
While California voters have typically been left-leaning on the political spectrum – it hasn't always been like that. The Public Policy Institute of California points toward a shift in the 1990s when voters began to swing away from Republican support. From the 1950s to 1988, Californians voted primarily for Republican presidential candidates.
The shift came with the 1992 presidential election, where California voters supported Democrat Bill Clinton. In the mid-2000s, California saw an increase in Democratic registration, and the state became "solidly" Democratic with the election of former president Barack Obama, the institute said.
Who is Steve Hilton?
Dig deeper:
Hilton has positioned himself as a political outsider, seeing the gubernatorial race as "winnable" despite the less-likely odds.
Prior to his political candidacy, the Republican hosted a show on Fox News and worked as an adviser to British prime minister David Cameron. He has never held an elected office.
Hilton was born in London, earning a Bachelor's Degree from Oxford University. In the June primary, Hilton and Becerra earned 25% and 28% of the vote, respectively, solidifying the pair as the top two contenders.
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One-on-one with Steve Hilton ahead of California governor's race
KTVU sits down with Steve Hilton ahead of the California's governor's race.
Hilton's priorities
During his gubernatorial campaign, Hilton has leaned into the issues Californians are all too familiar with, promising to lower the price of gas to $3 per gallon, cut Californians' utility bills, eliminate state income taxes on earnings under $150,000, and abolish the DMV. If elected, Hilton's proposals would likely face a Democrat-controlled state legislature.
"As the governor of California, I can affect how much money we take out of Californians' pockets," Hilton said at a Los Angeles event in September. "And so that is the simplest, quickest way to help people with the cost of living, is for the government to take less money out of their pockets."
He called car registration fees collected by the DMV a "rip-off," saying California is gouging residents with hidden taxes, fees and charges.
Hilton proposed moving routine car title, registration and renewal services to local jurisdictions, but keeping things like fraud, safety and driver's licenses in a smaller state operation.
"We're going to shut down this bloated nanny state bureaucratic agency that treats Californians with complete contempt," the GOP candidate said. "We are done with it. Enough is enough with the DMV, enough is enough with sky-high registration rates, we are done."
Endorsed by Trump, Hilton has attempted to create a bit of distance between himself and the president – this as Trump's approval among Americans continually declines.
"This is not about who you hate in Washington. It’s about what we love about California and what we can do to make California once again the best place anywhere in the country to start and raise a family, to start and run a business," Hilton said in July. "That’s what this election is about."
The two candidates will face off in the general election on Nov. 3.
To find your polling place or ballot drop-off box, click here.
The Source: Information in this story came from previous KTVU reporting on candidates Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra along with reporting by the Associated Press and Fox 11 Los Angeles. Poll data came from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and the Public Policy Institute of California, which regularly conducts surveys of California voters. Candidate priorities were sourced from the candidates' campaign website and previous election reporting.