Xavier Becerra elected California governor, first Latino to win

Historic first Latino governor in California

California previously had one Latino governor, Romualdo Pacheco, who took office in 1875 after Governor Newton Booth resigned. Pacheco completed the remaining 10 months of the term and did not seek another office.

Becerra and Hilton: political backgrounds

His mother immigrated from Mexico and his father, born in Sacramento, was raised in Mexico. He attended Stanford University and Stanford Law School, becoming the first in his family to earn a college degree.

Latinos constitute more than 40% of California’s population and roughly one-third of its voters. Madrid expects Becerra will need to demonstrate concern for Latino and working-class voters.

Republican Steve Hilton is a political outsider born in Britain. He was an adviser to former United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron and worked as a Fox News commentator after moving to the United States.

Voter registration and campaign dynamics

California’s electorate is 45% registered Democrats and 25% registered Republicans.

Becerra narrowly beat businessman Tom Steyer in the June primary election. An endorsement from President Donald Trump rallied Republican voters around Hilton in that primary and helped him reach the general election.

Becerra remained largely out of the spotlight during the general election. He debated Hilton only once and gave few media interviews while doing little campaigning.

GOP consultant Mike Madrid said Becerra let demographics do the work and saw no reason to make it a race. Madrid called the election a referendum on Donald Trump and national sentiment. He attributed the victory to widespread anti-Republican and anti-Trump sentiment.

Madrid said Becerra could give Democrats an opportunity to focus on voters who previously turned to Trump.

Policy agenda Becerra outlined for his term

Becerra plans to declare a housing emergency on his first day in office. He stated the state must speed up construction projects to address the shortage.

He outlined goals including a possible new income tax on the wealthiest residents. He also suggested a new healthcare fee for major companies operating within the state.

His administration faces a March deadline to provide options for corporations to shoulder more costs for the Medi-Cal program. He previously suggested tax changes or increases to offset federal health cuts.

He also proposed a boost in state funding to fire-proof homes.

He advocated for specific measures designed to lower household expenses for California residents. He also proposed expanding child-care assistance and cracking down on price gouging.

He additionally suggested necessary changes to the current state high-speed rail project.

Reactions and quotes from leaders

Becerra promised to defend California against immigration and voting rights policies from the Trump administration. He supports border regulation while insisting enforcement must honor constitutional rights.

Anna Sampaio, a Santa Clara University professor of ethnic studies and political science, called the victory groundbreaking. Sampaio said the win is particularly important when Latinos are targeted by the federal government and Becerra delivers a message of opposition to the Trump agenda.

Steven Maviglio, a former spokesman for Governor Gray Davis, said, "Hopefully he uses an overwhelming victory to achieve what he wants to get done in 100 days… that’s when you’re most powerful: when you assume office with an agenda, so hopefully he’ll detail that within days of being elected".

We want California to work for everybody".

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters described Becerra as a "journeyman, a get along, go along-type politician" who is the polar opposite of Gavin Newsom. Walters predicts Becerra will prioritize agendas from labor unions.

Political analysts forecast that the tenure of Becerra could remain as low-key as his campaign. He won the seat to succeed term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom, who must leave office at the end of 2026.

What comes next for California

He faces challenges including the nation’s worst unemployment rate, an unrivaled housing shortage, and ongoing fires and floods.

His win places him at the forefront of California’s disputes with the Trump administration and the state’s long-standing housing, health-care, and cost-of-living challenges. He also plans to attract Hollywood productions back to the state, draw global visitors for the 2028 Olympic Games, and expand the artificial-intelligence sector.

The new governor inherits the contentious question of who should pay for megafires.

The victory marks the first time that the governor, the Assembly speaker, and the state Senate president all share working-class, immigrant backgrounds. Becerra was scheduled to address supporters at an election-night gathering in West Sacramento on Tuesday evening.