Where do California’s governor race, congressional district primaries stand?
One week after California’s 2026 primary election, several of the state’s most closely watched contests remain unresolved.
Among them are the race for governor and competitive congressional battles in the Sacramento region and Central Valley. Several counties are expected to release additional vote counts Tuesday afternoon and election officials have until July 10 to certify the results.
Until then, here’s where some of California’s key undecided races stand.
Governor’s race
In the primary to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democrat Xavier Becerra will advance to the November general election, according to the Associated Press. He’ll face either Republican Steve Hilton or Democrat Tom Steyer. Hilton is ahead of Steyer by less than 3 percentage points, with what AP estimates to be around 20% of the vote left to count. Steyer has narrowed that gap as more late, Democratic-leaning ballots have come in, but needs to do even better to overtake Hilton.
Lieutenant governor’s race
The lieutenant governor primary hasn’t gotten the same attention as the top of the ticket but is also a nail-biter. State Treasurer Fiona Ma, a Democrat, will advance to November, according to the AP. Republican Gloria Romano trails her by only one percentage point, while Democrat Josh Fryday remains in striking distance — about 3 million votes behind Romano, with the remaining ballots leaning Democratic.
6th District
Rep. Kevin Kiley and former state Sen. Richard Pan appear headed for a November showdown in California’s 6th Congressional District, though the results have not yet been finalized. Pan surged into second place after Sacramento County released a large batch of results late last week, overtaking Stansfield, a little-known Republican candidate who unexpectedly emerged as a contender on election night. More votes are expected Tuesday from Sacramento County, which accounts for the largest share of voters in the district. The 6th District spans Rocklin in the north to West Sacramento in the south.
7th District
Rep. Doris Matsui locked up a spot in the general election Friday, but Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang is still awaiting confirmation as counting continues. The two Democrats are expected to advance and continue their increasingly contentious battle for the Sacramento-area seat through November.
Vang, who is leading in Sacramento County, could largely benefit from the update on Tuesday. Last Friday’s update launched her past Republican candidate Zachariah Wooden. The 7th district encompasses much of Sacramento’s downtown core while extending east to Placerville and south to Lodi.
22nd District
Progressive Democrat and political newcomer Randy Villegas is inching closer to a surprising victory in one of California’s most closely watched House races. He is seeking the second spot on the November ballot to challenge Republican Rep. David Valadao, who has already secured his place in the general election. Villegas has maintained a slim, but growing lead over Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains since last week.
Fresno County, which has reported the smallest share of votes among counties in the district, will update its results on Tuesday.
The 22nd Congressional District is viewed as critical to Democrat’s efforts to reclaim control of the House and one of five House seats the party hoped to flip following Proposition 50. The new map slightly increased the district’s already Democratic registration advantage while shifting its boundaries northward to include communities such as Huron, Riverdale, Caruthers, Kerman and San Joaquin.
Decided statewide races
Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, won a majority of the primary vote to keep his current job and will face off with Republican Michael Gates in the November election. Secretary of State Shirley Weber, another Democratic incumbent, also cruised to an easy primary win and will face Republican Don Wagner. In the state treasurer’s race, Democrat Eleni Kounalakis, who currently serves as lieutenant governor, will face Republican Jennifer Hawks, according to the Associated Press. Two Democrats have won the primary for insurance commissioner and will face off in the general election: former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Jane Kim and state Sen. Ben Allen. In the technically nonpartisan state superintendent race, Richard Barrera, President of the San Diego Unified School Board, will face Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified school board.
