00:00The primary for California governor is this Tuesday, and it's a nail-biter.
00:03With just days left, the crowded field has narrowed into a three-way fight.
00:07Tom Steyer, the billionaire-turned-populist firebrand, Javier Becerra, President Joe Biden's
00:12former health secretary, and Steve Hilton, a Republican and former Fox News host.
00:17No candidate has polled above 25%, and under California's top two primary system,
00:23the two candidates with the most votes advance to November, regardless of party.
00:27So how did we get here?
00:28It started last summer, when former Vice President Kamala Harris said she wouldn't run,
00:33opening the door to the state's first wide-open gubernatorial primary in decades.
00:37For a while, Democrats were so splintered that party insiders worried two Republicans could
00:43make the general election.
00:44Then-early frontrunner former Congressman Eric Swalwell dropped out after facing sexual misconduct
00:50allegations, upending the race again, with many voters still undecided.
00:54Now Becerra holds a narrow edge, supporters see him as an experienced, steady hand who can
00:59lead the nation's largest state, and if elected, he would become California's first
01:04Latino governor in about 150 years.
01:06Steyer is running as an anti-establishment populist, promising to take on powerful utilities
01:11and oil companies and raising taxes on corporations to ease the state's affordability crisis.
01:17And Hilton is betting Republicans will consolidate around him, boosted by President Donald Trump's
01:22endorsement and frustration over California's high cost of living.
01:26In LA, similar concerns over government dysfunction have led to the rise of reality star Spencer Pratt
01:32as a mayoral candidate taking on incumbent Karen Bass.
01:35If Bass fails to secure 50% of the vote, that race will advance to a runoff in November.
01:40Voters are heading to the polls Tuesday, but given California's reliance on mail-in ballots,
01:45it's possible we won't know the results for days.
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