California holds primary election Tuesday for governor, Los Angeles mayor and House seats

Californians vote Tuesday in a primary election that will select two finalists each for governor, Los Angeles mayor and multiple U.S. House seats. The nonpartisan primary system places all candidates on one ballot; only the top two advance to November regardless of party. The contests occur under California’s two-to-one Democratic registration advantage.

Governor’s race Three recent surveys place former U.S. health secretary Xavier Becerra in first place. The Public Policy Institute of California poll gave Becerra 23 percent, Republican Steve Hilton 20 percent and environmental activist Tom Steyer 15 percent.

The Berkeley IGS Poll and Emerson College survey released Friday and Saturday showed similar rankings, with Becerra reaching 28 percent in the final poll. Becerra, Hilton and Steyer each addressed voters over the weekend. Becerra told supporters in Long Beach that only he possesses the experience to address state problems.

” Hilton attributed current conditions to 16 years of Democratic leadership.

mayor and congressional contests Los Angeles voters remain split between incumbent mayor Karen Bass and several challengers. At the federal level, candidates are being chosen for newly redrawn House districts that could affect the balance of power in Congress.

A Public Policy Institute of California survey found roughly half of state residents believe California is headed in the wrong direction, while three-quarters say the same about the nation. Voting officials expect a surge of last-minute absentee ballots, which may delay preliminary results.