California governor, LA mayor races still unsettled as vote count continues. Here's when more results are expected
California’s governor and Los Angeles mayoral races were still unresolved Friday as ballot counting continued, with more updates due from counties later in the day.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
CBS News says California’s top races were still too close to call more than 36 hours after polls closed. Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra appeared set to advance in the governor’s race, while Karen Bass was projected into the LA mayoral runoff and her opponent remained unclear.
California is still counting votes, like sorting a huge stack of puzzle pieces after the box is opened. The governor race and Los Angeles mayor race are close, so people have to wait until more pieces are counted to see who moves ahead.
Analysis
What is still unresolved
California voters were still waiting on final primary results Friday, especially in the governor’s race and the Los Angeles mayoral contest. CBS News had not yet projected anyone to advance in the gubernatorial race, though Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra both appeared likely to move on. Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer was also trying to make a late gain as ballots continued to be counted.
In the governor’s race, Hilton cast his early showing as evidence that voters want a change in direction. Becerra said Tuesday night that he felt he was "on track to advance to November." Several prominent Democrats, including Katie Porter, Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa, had already conceded. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco had not conceded as of Thursday morning.
Los Angeles and the count timeline
In Los Angeles, CBS News projected that Mayor Karen Bass would advance to a runoff in November as she seeks reelection. Her opponent was still not determined. The race was notable because an incumbent mayor in heavily Democratic Los Angeles was facing a rare close challenge. Bass, Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman were described as being in a virtual dead heat in polling before the election.
The article says California counties have 30 days to count provisional ballots. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can still count if received within seven days. Several counties were scheduled to report more results Friday, with additional updates in Marin County expected Monday, June 8. The slow pace of counting explains why the main contests remained unsettled well after election night.
Key points
- California’s governor race was still too close to call as ballot counting continued more than 36 hours after polls closed.
- Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra appeared likely to advance, while Tom Steyer was still making a late push.
- In Los Angeles, CBS News projected Mayor Karen Bass to advance to a November runoff, but her opponent was not yet determined.
- California counties have 30 days to count provisional ballots, and some large counties expected new updates Friday.
If the remaining ballots confirm the early projections, California will have a clear path to the November runoff in the governor’s race and a defined field in Los Angeles. More complete counting could also give voters a fuller picture of how close the races really were.
If late-counted ballots keep shifting, the final outcome could remain uncertain for days or longer, extending the wait for candidates and voters. The article also shows that close races can stay unresolved well beyond election night under California’s ballot-counting rules.
