Five days after California voters went to the polls, two of the state’s most closely watched political races remain undecided.
California’s lengthy vote-counting process has thrust two high-profile races into the national spotlight, with reality TV personality Spencer Platt facing growing pressure in the Los Angeles mayoral race and billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer still trailing Republican Steve Hilton in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
According to the latest data from Los Angeles County election officials, the mayor Karen Bass With a vote rate of 34.81%, he ranked first and almost guaranteed victory in the general election. However, the battle for second place is already fierce.
Platt, best known for MTV’s “The Hills,” retained second place in the Los Angeles mayoral primary, according to the latest vote count released by California election officials.
However, Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has significantly narrowed the gap. Platt currently has 27.32% of the vote, while Raman climbed to 26.21%.
Just days ago, Platt led Raman by more than three percentage points, but the newly tallied votes are gradually tilting in favor of the alderman. But the outcome in favor of Platt for a spot in the November election remains up in the air, according to the latest polls.
California’s unique “jungle primary” system promotes the top two vote-getters regardless of party affiliation. That means Platt, Raman and current Mayor Karen Bass are actually vying for two seats in the November election, rather than fighting along party lines.
On June 6, the county processed nearly 157,000 additional ballots, bringing the total tallied to more than 1.77 million.
The race to succeed Governor Newsom has also attracted national attention.
Former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has secured one of two seats in the general election. However, who will face him in November remains the key question.
Republican candidate Steve Hilton, a British-born political commentator and former adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, continued in second place. Hilton’s candidacy has received more attention after receiving the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Hilton currently has about 26.1% of the vote, continuing to lead billionaire investor and climate activist Tom Steyer, whose support has edged up to 21.3%.
Trump’s interest in California gubernatorial race remains unchanged. After giving Hilton his valuable endorsement of Sheriff Chad Bianco, Trump scrutinized the slow vote count.
After in-person voting ends on June 2, California election authorities are currently processing primary ballots postmarked by Election Day on June 7.
Trump claimed there were irregularities in the process, accusing Democrats of “stealing votes” but offered no evidence on his Truth social media platform. However, state election officials have defended the system, saying California relies heavily on mail-in ballots.
Trump also had a heated exchange with NBC Meet the Press host Kristen Welker over delayed election results and claims of election fraud.
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