With the clarity of the morning after, the California Primary results of 2026 show that Xavier Becerra — the top Democrat in the slugfest that was the gubernatorial race — will be the first Mexican-American to be elected governor of the state. This will be the first time since 1846 when the last Mexican governor, Pio Pico, fled to Baja as American military forces swarmed into Alta California after war between the U.S. and Mexico began.
A bold assertion? Just look at the numbers. Steve Hilton, the top Republican, received 27.8% of the total vote to Becerra’s 25.4%. But if one adds up the percentages for Tom Steyer, Katie Porter and Mike Mahan — you get 28.3%, and coupled with Becerra’s, you have 53.7% of the vote available for Xavier. That smashes Hilton even with Bianco’s numbers — a total of 39.1%. (A Republican has not won a state-wide race in California for years.)
Absent some unforeseen upset or crisis or calamity, Becerra will journey to the General Election in November — and win it.
This victory 6 months away will result in the first Mexican-American elected as governor for California — the first time since the state has been in the Union.
For 9 months in 1875, there was a Mexican-American governor, Romualdo Pacheco, but he had not been elected governor; he was the lieutenant governor under Newton Booth until Booth was elected to the United States Senate in 1873 and took office in 1875. Pacheco then served as Governor from February 27 to December 9, 1875.
So, who was Pio Pico? We’re very familiar with the name; there are countless places, towns, schools named after him.
Here are some milestones in Pico’s life (from PBS)
- Pío Pico was the last governor of California under Mexican rule, serving from 1845-46, just before the U.S. military occupation.
- Pico’s racial background as reflected in the few existing portraits and family census records has been the subject of much interest. Scholars have correctly described Governor Pico as an Afro-Mexican.
- Pío Pico spent his childhood years in San Diego, where his father continued to serve in the military.
- He began his career in business by opening a small general store in San Diego where he sold providions, liquor, furniture, shoes, and mules.
- In 1826 he was elected to the newly formed legislature that served as an advisory body to the goveronor of Alta California
- He began to amass his fortune in property. In 1829 he received his first land grant of 8,922 acres near San Diego.
- He was reelected several times to the legislature and also served as interim governor in 1832 after leading a successful revolt against an unpopular governor sent from Mexico City to rule over California.
- In 1841, Pío and his younger brother Andrés Pico acquired a colossal land grant of 133,331 acres, the Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores in San Diego County, the present-day site of Camp Pendleton.
- After leading a revolt in February 1845 against another abusive governor, Manuel Micheltorena, a non-Californio, Pío Pico was declared governor in March of that year. Pico moved the governor’s office from Monterey to Los Angeles where he ran the government from his spacious adobe located at the Plaza.
- War between the United States and Mexico was declared on May 13, 1846. and U.S. troops under Robert F. Stockton and John C. Frémont marched into California. Governor Pico fled to Baja California in an unsuccessful attempt to seek military reinforcements from the Mexican government and to protect the governor’s authority.
- The war came to a final end with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848. The last phase of Mexican rule in California coincided with the return of Pío Pico that same year. He arrived in Los Angeles with a claim to the governor’s office, a claim that he believed was justified as the Treaty of Cahuenga allowed that Mexican civil officials would continue to function. However, Pico was only allowed to return as a private citizen. Upon his arrival he was placed under house arrest for three weeks and was later released.
- As a private citizen, Pico was still a very wealthy Californio. He continued to maintain and acquire large land holdings well into the American period.
You won’t agree with it but, Hilton’s tax plan won’t be something to shrug off given the affordability issue (Steyer ran on affordability). And for Becerra to just dismiss Porter’s healthcare question with, they’ll be covered by something, coming from the HHS dude was eye opening and not the sound bite you want to be handing out. Everyone wants to make this a batten the hatches from Trump issue but (Dumpy won’t be around forever), if Hilton sticks to actual Cali issues and people, I don’t think it’s the slam dunk you believe in IMO.
Hilton has never held a political office. He has been an effective campaigner for others and now himself, but he has never been a doer. He left his position as an adviser to Cameron because he “wanted to spend more time with his family”, but his colleagues from that time paint a different picture. He had grand ideas but no clue on how to actually get any of them done and known to get frustrated easily.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/08/steve-hilton-british-strategist-frontrunner-california-governor-david-cameron
Identity representation is fine and dandy, but Mexicans don’t care if he’s Mexican or not – they care that he’s funded by corporations and will just be another political puppet that continues politics as usual. Democrats are too concerned with playing up diversity to promote “progress” when actual progressive issues are based in policy, not someones identity.
As far as I can tell, we’re the first to praise this advancement for Mexican-Americans.
I haven’t seen one whiff of anyone playing up diversity re Becerra. But sounds like you’re ready to vote for a billionaire (who won’t make the runoff).
Good little pat on the back for you to point out he’s Mexican, but you lose some points for failing to mention how beholden he is to the very billionaires you claim to criticize.
Who are you? God? Giving out points? We’re making an historic distinction of note. We’re taking note of this moment in California history. It’s a fact.
Ok… since you like facts: California Association of Realtors, Chevron, META, AirBnB, PG&E, McDonalds and a whole bunch of other super PACS in the construction industry are all betting their money on Xavier Beccera. Just follow the money… Because if you do, it doesn’t sound like he’s very aligned with a lot of the views that are hailed on this site. Instead of talking about his policies or what are the implications of being another democrat lapdog for these major corporations that take advantage us – you’re taking the moment to acknowledge that he might be the first Mexican governor since 1846? Is that what’s really important here? Cause as a Mexican, this post comes off extremely performative and obfuscates the reality of who these politicians really are.
The numbers are all here: https://www.fppc.ca.gov/search-filings/top-10-contributors-list/june-2026-primary-election/
https://cagovtracker.com/candidates/xavier-becerra
You’re ignoring all the progressive groups and unions that backed Becerra. Your guy — the billionaire — lost?
Ah yes, the unions that all have nothing to gain but the continued business as usual… many of the donors which are involved in the real estate and construction industry, yep nothing to see there.
You’re ignoring the corporate interests that will outweigh whatever small social wins you might get at the expense of multi-billion dollar companies striping our resources, polluting our planet and dodging all the taxes that theyve been cheating through legal loopholes for decades. In case you didnt know, many of those corporate monopolies will be geared towards building mass density housing which you clearly abhor… but hey the guy is Mexican, and he’s backed by SDGE and Israel – so Im sure he’s got the best intentions for all his constituents!
Cute assumption that you think I voted for the billionaire. Even though his policies were actually better than Hiltons and Becerra. You’re being played by both sides and your neoliberal bias is making you think the pig with the lipstick is the most attractive choice.
Javier, why don’t you just for a moment appreciate this historic development, eh? (BTW, who did you vote for if not for the billionaire?) Are you so estranged from the political system (hey, it ain’t hard to be) that you no longer (if you ever did) accept any of these “capitalist pigs” and you’re a member of a tiny group of leftists that is fairly irrelevant?
I wasn’t sure, since he was the last Governor of Mexican rule, if we were going back to Mexican rule or were due for a 180 year flood. Mind you he was the last Mexican Governor only because the US attacked Mexico. But I’m looking for this on Kalshi.
Apparently the billionaire has made the runoff
Nope, he hasn’t.
I agree with Javier . I am first generation Mexican american and father was a naturalized citizen, and he too used to say that we don’t vote based on identity but instead on policies. However, Hilton will be bad for anyone of color because of his willingness to follow his parties line against DEI. I am all for merit based promotion. However, now the party is using DEI as a ruse to get rid of anyone of color or women who got promoted jusitifying it as DEI and never considering the promotion as merit based. This policy will make it impossible for anyone of color or female to move up when you have decision makers wih either obvious bias or unconscious bias wanting to keep anyone of color or female from being promoted. ALSO, no one is talking about what a joke Hilton truly is. He was basically shunned in England from his position. He has never really accomplished anything or made any real money himself. His wife has been the financially successful one. His only raise to fame was the gig in got on Fox news and was basically good at entertainment. Does this sound like anyone we know? Stop voting for people solely based on celebrities. Very few have been successful. As our celebrity president has demonstrated , he is just in it for the money and the fame and doesnt know a thing about governing. Oh, and by the way, you are not supposed to be enriching yourself and your family while president, while the rest of us are being asked to sacrifice and do with less. Im still waiting for His so called healthplan he was going to replace Obamacare with. So dont be fooled by Hilton. We will bring the same thing to California.