Former Biden cabinet member Xavier Becerra is headed for a November showdown after making his way into the top tier of California’s gubernatorial primary, according to the Associated Press.
The ex-Health and Human Services secretary made up significant ground on Republican frontrunner Steve Hilton as late-arriving ballots continued to be counted across the state.
With more than 67% of expected ballots tallied, Hilton — the former Fox News host — fell behind with 26.4% of the vote, while Becerra held a razor-thin lead with 26.7% of the vote, according to AP.
As of Friday afternoon, nearly 22,000 votes separated the two candidates in a race that has tightened dramatically since Election Day.
The narrowing gap comes as Democratic and left-leaning voters, who historically return ballots later, continue to have their votes counted — a trend expected to benefit the former state attorney general.
Meanwhile, Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer remained in third place with 21% of the vote, while Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco held onto fourth place with 10.7% of the vote.
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