California primary election results coming in as polls have closed
LOS ANGELES - Polls closed across California at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and now voters await the results of several high-profile races, including contests for governor, Los Angeles mayor, and Los Angeles County sheriff.
Below are the live results for the June 2 California primary:
In the race to take over as California governor, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former FOX News host Steve Hilton and billionaire businessman Tom Steyer enter Tuesday as the highest-polling candidates.
Also on the ballot are Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, agriculture executive Leo Zacky, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter and former California Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon. In the days leading up to the primary, those candidates generally polled outside the top tier of the race.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Meet the gubernatorial candidates
- LA mayoral candidates make their final push
- Meet the sheriff candidates
![What to expect for California's June 2 primary [PREV. COVERAGE]](https://static-media.fox.com/fmcv3/prod/fts/d62wvihtbagchoz1/sy1xlrjbdtzfsuvg.jpg)
What to expect for California's June 2 primary [PREV. COVERAGE]
FOX 11 was joined by POLITICO's Melanie Mason as she shares what to expect in the June 2 primary, which includes the California gubernatorial race and the race for Los Angeles Mayor. [PREV. COVERAGE]
Former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell and former California State Controller Betty Yee ended their gubernatorial campaigns earlier this year, but their names remained on the ballot.
Under California's top-two primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes will advance to the November 2026 general election regardless of party affiliation.
Voters are also awaiting results in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass is seeking another term and faces 13 challengers. Bass entered Election Day as one of the race's higher-polling candidates, along with Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman and reality television personality Spencer Pratt.
Bass, Pratt, Raman make final case for LA Mayor
Top polling Los Angeles mayoral candidates -- incumbent Karen Bass, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt and Los Angeles City Council Member Nithya Raman -- made their final cases on why you, the City of Los Angeles voters, should vote for them.
Results are also pending in the race for Los Angeles County sheriff. Incumbent Sheriff Robert Luna is seeking reelection against a field that includes probation operations chief Eric Strong, former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, detective Andre N. White, law enforcement officer Oscar Antonio Martinez, retired sheriff's captain Mike Bornman, sheriff's sergeant Karla Carranza and retired assistant sheriff Brendan Corbett.
Initial vote totals came in at 8 p.m. PT, but the timing of results being finalized is uncertain. Depending on the margins in each contest, winners could become clear as early as late Tuesday night. If races remain close, however, vote counting could continue beyond Election Day before outcomes are determined.
Election officials are expected to release updated vote totals throughout the evening as ballots continue to be processed and counted across the state.
What's next:
One of the things to keep an eye on this week as we wait for election results to come in is the distinction between "too early to project" and "too close to call." We may hear either term used when candidates are not ready to formally concede and when a race is not yet over.
What does "too early to project" mean?
"Too early to project" is used when analysts do not yet have enough information to make a reliable determination about the outcome of a race.
In California's governor's race, that could mean only a small percentage of ballots has been counted, large counties have reported little or no vote, the makeup of the outstanding ballots remains unclear, and analysts cannot confidently identify which candidates are likely to finish among the top two vote-getters.
In short: We don't know enough yet.
What does "too close to call" mean?
"Too close to call" is used when analysts have enough information to understand the race, but the margin between candidates is narrow enough that the remaining ballots could still change the outcome.
In the California governor's race, analysts may be able to project one candidate will advance to the general election while remaining unable to determine who will claim the second runoff spot.
At that point, analysts understand where the outstanding ballots are located, know roughly what types of votes remain to be counted and can conclude the leading candidate is safely headed to the runoff. What they cannot determine is which candidate will finish second.
In simple terms: We know a lot, but the margin is too small.
The Source: This report used information provided by previous FOX 11 articles and the latest election results were obtained from the Associated Press.