Xavier Becerra advances in California governor race to replace Newsom

Xavier Becerra will advance to the general election in California’s gubernatorial race.

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The Democrat emerged as a front-runner on Friday, three days after Tuesday’s primary in a crowded field of around 60 candidates remained too close to call.

Becerra previously served as the Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden, was California attorney general from 2017 to 2021 and was a member of Congress for more than 20 years. He made a late-in-the-race surge in polling at 25% in late May, after coming in at 5% in early March.

The race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom became wide open after former Vice President and California Sen. Kamala Harris and the state’s senior senator, Alex Padilla, chose not to run. The race was further shaken when some candidates who were gaining popularity became embroiled in scandals. Former Rep. Eric Swalwell, viewed as a potential front-runner, dropped out after facing sexual misconduct allegations, while former Rep. Katie Porter came under scrutiny over allegations that she bullied staffers.

The candidate to challenge Becerra in the general election has yet to be determined.