Newsom’s Last Budget Shadows California’s 2026 Governor Race
Thursday, July 2, 2026 · 10 min
California governor race gets a fiscal frame as Gavin Newsom signs his final $352 billion budget, while polling still shows Xavier Becerra well ahead of Steve Hilton and new scrutiny follows Newsom’s orbit.
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Show notes
California governor race gets a fiscal frame as Gavin Newsom signs his final $352 billion budget, while polling still shows Xavier Becerra well ahead of Steve Hilton and new scrutiny follows Newsom’s orbit.
In this episode
- Newsom signs $352B spending plan and reflects on signature policies before he leaves office — SFGATE
# Governor Newsom signs historic balanced state budget, cementing California’s fiscal strength and investing in the state’s future | Governor of California Author: State of California Published: 2026-06-30T02:50:17+00:00 Source: gov.ca.gov (gov.ca.gov) Language: en ## Story Governor Newsom signs historic balanced state budget, cementing California’s fiscal strength and investing in the state’s…
- 2026 Polls: California Governor - 270toWin — 270toWin
 Follow # 2026 Polls: California Governor ## General Election – November 3 Instantly compare a poll to prior one by same pollster #### Becerra vs. Hilton | Source | | Date | Sample | Becerra | Hilton | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Average of 2 Polls† | | | | 55.0% | 32.0% | - | | | [Kreate…
- Step Back — California doesn’t run separate Democratic and Republican primaries for governor — it uses a top-two system — so how did that shape a Becerra-Hilton November matchup, and what does it mean for voters who don’t feel represented by either choice?
Background sources
- California Voters and the Top-Two Primary - Public Policy Institute of California — Ppic
- California’s Top-Two Primary May Be Headed for Extinction — Ed Kilgore
- Xavier Becerra advances to California's Nov. governor election — Jeanne Kuang
- Why California's top-two primary elections failed to moderate — Ben Christopher, Jeanne Kuang
- 2026 Primary Election: Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra hold leads in tight, still too-close-to-call California governor's race - ABC7 San Francisco — Abc7news
- California governor’s race election results latest – NBC 7 San Diego — Nbcsandiego
- 5 things to know about California's election results — Ben Christopher
- Peculiar primary system forced the GOP to get strategic - Ceres Courier — Ceres Courier
Peculiar primary system forced the GOP to get strategic - Ceres Courier By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. Jon Fleischman By Jon Fleischman Guest Columnist Former Fox News host Steve Hilton deserves credit for running a strong campaign for governor. But Hilton’s success in advancing to the general election was not…
- California Matters: What the federal probe of Newsom and the first partner means for his presidential ambitions | Opinion | mtdemocrat.com — Mountain Democrat
California Matters: What the federal probe of Newsom and the first partner means for his presidential ambitions | Opinion | mtdemocrat.com You have permission to edit this article. Share This Dan Walters Gov. Gavin Newsom recently revealed in a video and a social media post that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating him and his wife, framing it as a political attack by President…