The Associated Press called the race at 8 p.m. Tuesday, right as polls closed, KQED reported. By Wednesday morning Becerra, the former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary and state attorney general, had about 4.98 million votes, or 63.9%, to Hilton's 2.8 million, or 36%.
ABC7 showed a near-identical split, 64% to 36%, with 4,991,891 votes for Becerra and 2,814,373 for Hilton. Its live coverage said Becerra, who ran on his decades in public office, will take over from Newsom, who is termed out.What's waiting in Sacramento
KQED notes the next governor inherits a state budget of roughly $350 billion, a structural deficit projected to reach $35 billion within a few years, and ongoing fights over housing costs, gas prices, homelessness and wildfire risk. Becerra campaigned on confronting the Trump administration, pointing to the more than 120 lawsuits his office filed during Trump's first term. Hilton, endorsed by Trump, had pledged to work with the White House.
Down-ballot, Democrats also led every other partisan statewide office in ABC7's tally, including Fiona Ma for lieutenant governor at 64%.
All results are unofficial election-night and early-morning counts as of Wednesday, Nov. 4. Counties keep counting mail and provisional ballots for days, and certification comes later, so margins can shift, especially in close contests.