Xavier Becerra Wins California Governor's Race, Defeating Republican Steve Hilton

Xavier Becerra has been declared the winner of the California governor's race, comfortably turning back a challenge from Republican Steve Hilton.

The Democrat ran on lowering energy costs and working toward universal health care, but the defining theme of his campaign was his opposition to President Trump. Becerra frequently pointed out that he sued the president more than 100 times while serving as attorney general during Trump's first term.

Becerra finished as the top vote-getter in the June primary, which gave him a straightforward path to victory over Hilton. Along the way, he made relatively few firm commitments, including on the question of whether to expand California's film and television tax incentive.

"Everyone recognizes that one of the reasons Southern California is such a destination point for tourists and people around the world is because of things like Hollywood, because of Universal Studios, Disneyland," Becerra told Variety last month. "And so we have to fight to keep that industry here in Southern California."

The incentive question is now waiting for him in Sacramento. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a proposal on Monday to grow the state's $750 million production tax credit to $1 billion, to cover above-the-line costs, and to push the program's sunset date out to 2040. Newsom leaves office in two months, so any decision on expanding the incentive will fall to his successor.

Many in Hollywood are advocating for an unlimited tax incentive, which would operate as an entitlement and would not need discretionary approval from the state film commission. An Assembly special committee took up that idea at a hearing last week, though the panel's chair, Rick Chavez Zbur, said afterward that an unlimited incentive would be a "heavy lift."

Becerra has declined to take a position on the proposal, saying only that he intends to work on strengthening the credit. "I'll sit down with all the legislators to see what kind of proposals are put before us," he told Variety. "But we're going to fight."

His campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Newsom's proposal on Monday. Becerra's website features a film policy that lays out no explicit commitments and that was rated by Pangram as 100% AI-generated.

Becerra served in Congress before being appointed to replace Kamala Harris as California's attorney general, and he later led the Department of Health and Human Services in the Biden administration. He emerged from a crowded primary field in the spring, becoming the frontrunner only after Rep. Eric Swalwell was forced to withdraw from the race and resign from Congress amid sexual misconduct allegations.

His strongest Democratic rival was hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer, who ran with the backing of IATSE and a number of progressive groups.