Framing Analysis
Xavier Becerra, former California attorney general and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, received the Associated Press projection to advance from the primary alongside Republican Steve Hilton. Millions of mail-in ballots remain uncounted, with Becerra at 26.7 percent and Hilton at 26.4 percent based on 66 percent of ballots reported. Gavin Newsom is term-limited, and more than 60 candidates appeared on the primary ballot.