It’s Official: California Picks Xavier Becerra to Replace Gavin Newsom

California has a new governor-elect. Xavier Becerra, the Democrat and former U.S. health secretary, easily defeated Republican Steve Hilton in Tuesday's election to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom, a outcome with immediate implications for Santa Barbara County residents on housing, energy costs, and the state's ongoing legal battles with the Trump administration.

The Associated Press declared Becerra the winner shortly after polls closed, as reported by the Santa Barbara Independent in a story republished from CalMatters. The win extends Democrats' 16-year hold on the governor's office in the nation's most populous Democratic state, and makes Becerra the first Latino elected governor of California — and the first Latino to hold the office in roughly 150 years.

A Whirlwind Rise for a Low-Key Politician

Becerra's victory caps a remarkable turnaround for a politician who, just eight months ago, was polling so low that he faced pressure to drop out of the race, according to CalMatters. His fortunes shifted dramatically in April, when the leading Democratic contender in a crowded primary exited the race amid sexual assault allegations. Party insiders and interest groups quickly coalesced around Becerra as the mainstream Democratic choice.

From there, the race settled into a familiar California pattern. Becerra and Hilton finished first and second in June's top-two primary, and Becerra — comfortably ahead in the polls and facing a Republican opponent closely tied to President Donald Trump — largely avoided sweeping policy promises, campaigning instead on his decades of government experience representing Los Angeles in Congress, serving as state attorney general, and leading the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

That résumé earned him a deep bench of liberal allies. Tony Hoang, executive director of the LGBTQ+ rights group Equality California, praised Becerra at a San Francisco event last week, noting his 30-plus-year record — including his vote as one of a small minority of House members against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

What It Means for Santa Barbara

For residents of Santa Barbara County, Becerra's election signals broad policy continuity with the Newsom era. He has said he supports the housing-production reforms Newsom and the Democratic-led Legislature enacted to speed up construction — a significant issue on the South Coast, where a chronic housing shortage continues to drive up rents and home prices.

On energy, Becerra generally supports the state's transition to clean energy but has said he wants to find ways to lower gas prices — a tension familiar to Central Coast commuters, who routinely pay among the highest fuel prices in the country. He is also expected to continue Newsom's posture of challenging Washington, including Trump's aggressive deportation campaign — an issue that resonates in Santa Barbara County, where a large agricultural workforce in the North County depends heavily on immigrant labor.

Where Becerra is likely to differ from his predecessor is in style. Newsom swept into office eight years ago with ambitious moonshots — millions of new housing units, single-payer healthcare — not all of which were achieved. Becerra, described by CalMatters as "mild-mannered" and "risk-averse," has deliberately avoided such promises, speaking instead about prioritizing working families and saying he doesn't want to squander public trust by overstating what he can accomplish.

Hilton's Long-Shot Bid Falls Short

Hilton, a former Fox News host, represented Republicans' best hope in years for a statewide win. He raised more than $33 million to Becerra's $38 million and ran on an aggressive cost-of-living agenda: deregulation, tax cuts, abolishing the Department of Motor Vehicles, canceling the high-speed rail project, and rolling back the state's climate goals. His slogan-cum-thesis — "It's the people against the machine," as he put it in a virtual town hall last week — cast Becerra as the embodiment of Sacramento's status quo.

His message found traction with voters like Brad Gerig, a 34-year-old EMT and firefighter who voted in Roseville — the first time he could recall backing a Republican. "There's no reason it should be as expensive as it is," Gerig told CalMatters, echoing the affordability anxiety that runs deep in high-cost communities like Santa Barbara.

But Hilton could never shake the baggage of Trump's endorsement in a state the president lost by 20 percentage points in 2024. Becerra hammered that connection at every turn, declaring at one San Francisco event, "Donald Trump is on this ballot," without ever naming his opponent.

What Comes Next

Becerra will be sworn in as California's 41st governor at the start of the next term. Key early tests will include the state budget, the pace of housing production, and the next round of legal confrontations with Washington — areas where Santa Barbara's local governments, universities, and workforce all have a stake.

The Independent, which republishes CalMatters coverage on state issues affecting Santa Barbara County, will continue to follow the transition as Becerra assembles his administration.