Xavier Becerra advances to November runoff in California governor’s race

Former Biden cabinet member Xavier Becerra is headed for a November showdown after making his way into the top tier of California’s gubernatorial primary, according to the Associated Press.

The ex-Health and Human Services secretary made up significant ground on Republican frontrunner Steve Hilton as late-arriving ballots continued to be counted across the state.

With more than 67% of expected ballots tallied, Hilton — the former Fox News host — fell behind with 26.4% of the vote, while Becerra held a razor-thin lead with 26.7% of the vote, according to AP.

Former Biden cabinet member Xavier Becerra is headed for a November showdown after making his way into the top tier of California’s gubernatorial primary, according to the Associated Press. Getty Images

As of Friday afternoon, nearly 22,000 votes separated the two candidates in a race that has tightened dramatically since Election Day.

The narrowing gap comes as Democratic and left-leaning voters, who historically return ballots later, continue to have their votes counted — a trend expected to benefit the former state attorney general.

Meanwhile, Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer remained in third place with 21% of the vote, while Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco held onto fourth place with 10.7% of the vote.