California gubernatorial contenders Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra spent Monday campaigning across the Los Angeles region, making their final appeals to voters ahead of Tuesday’s midterm election.
Strong early voting numbers show Californians are already weighing a series of consequential races, including the contest to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, the battle for Los Angeles mayor and several congressional contests that could influence the balance of power in Washington.
Becerra, the leading Democratic candidate, appeared alongside embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at Homegirl Cafe. The pair greeted customers and employees at the restaurant, known for providing job training to former gang members and people who were previously incarcerated.
When The California Post asked Becerra how he was feeling on the eve of Election Day, he responded with confidence.
“Very good. Especially if I get some of those chilaquiles,” Becerra said, highlighting one of Homegirl Cafe’s signature dishes.
Bass, who is defending her position against challenger Nithya Raman, praised Becerra as “the next governor of California” and pointed to their time working together in the House of Representatives.
“We were colleagues together, worked together on the Hill, and I know he’s going to do a wonderful job,” Bass said.
Hilton took a different approach in Compton, putting the focus squarely on his campaign’s affordability message.
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The Republican and former Fox News host again promised to lower gasoline prices to $3 per gallon. In a social media video, he spoke with a Spanish-speaking local woman about whether lower gas costs would influence her vote.
“Sí, claro!” the woman replied, meaning, “Yes, of course.”
Hilton, who has fallen behind by double digits in recent polls of the governor’s race, was scheduled to hold his final campaign rally Monday night at Pier Plaza and Amphitheater in Huntington Beach.
Across the country, election analysts are forecasting heavy participation in the midterms as Democrats seek to regain control of Congress.
California had recorded more than 6.4 million returned ballots by Sunday, according to the state Secretary of State. That total was 17% higher than the 5.47 million ballots received by the same point before the November 2022 midterm election.
Paul Mitchell, a pollster with Political Data Inc., said his organization’s tracking indicates the increase may be even more substantial.
Early voting in California is running “well over” the 2022 pace, Mitchell said. Political Data Inc. uses a slightly different method for monitoring ballot returns than the Secretary of State’s office.
As of early Monday afternoon, registered Democrats had returned approximately 3 million ballots, making up 51% of the nearly 5.9 million votes tracked by Political Data Inc.
Republicans had submitted about 1.62 million ballots, or 28% of the total. Voters registered with no party preference or affiliated with other parties accounted for roughly 1.25 million returns, representing 21%.