Winner of California Governor’s Race Announced
The first-place finisher in the race to succeed Gavin Newsom as California governor has been announced.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has officially secured a place in California’s November gubernatorial election, guaranteeing that Democrats will not be shut out of the race despite a crowded field of candidates.
CNN’s Decision Desk projected Friday that Becerra would advance to the general election after building an insurmountable lead over several rivals competing for one of the top two spots.
The result comes as a major relief for California Democrats, who had worried that multiple candidates splitting the vote could potentially allow two Republicans to advance under the state’s top-two primary system.
Instead, Becerra’s advancement ensures Democrats will have a nominee on the November ballot.
“I’m so humbled and honored to be moving on to the general election to become your next governor,” Becerra said in a video posted to X. “Let’s go win this thing.”
While Becerra’s spot is secure, the race for the second position remains unresolved.
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate backed by President Donald Trump, remains in contention along with billionaire Democratic activist Tom Steyer.
Election officials have not yet projected which candidate will ultimately claim the second runoff position.
Since Election Day, however, Becerra steadily expanded his lead over both Hilton and Steyer, eliminating any doubt about his advancement.
If Hilton ultimately secures the second spot, he would face a difficult path in the general election.
California remains one of the most Democratic states in the nation, with approximately 4.6 million more registered Democrats than Republicans according to the state’s latest voter registration figures.
The last Republican governor elected in California was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won reelection two decades ago.
The primary campaign itself highlighted significant challenges facing Democrats.
Several high-profile Democratic figures who could have consolidated support declined to enter the race, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla.
Without a clear frontrunner, Democrats found themselves divided among numerous candidates throughout much of the campaign.
Former Rep. Katie Porter (D) briefly emerged as an early favorite before her campaign collapsed following the circulation of several controversial videos that damaged her standing with voters.
Later, attention shifted toward then-Rep. Eric Swalwell (D), after he entered the race in late 2025.
That campaign ended abruptly after reports surfaced alleging sexual misconduct. Swalwell denied the accusations but withdrew from the race shortly afterward and resigned from Congress.
His departure created an opening that Becerra successfully exploited.
The former congressman, California attorney general, and Biden administration cabinet secretary centered his campaign on experience and government leadership.
Becerra argued throughout the race that California’s challenges required a leader with a proven record managing complex crises.
At the same time, opponents repeatedly targeted that record.
Critics attacked Becerra’s handling of issues ranging from the child migrant crisis to the federal government’s response to the mpox outbreak.
He also faced political fallout after a former chief of staff pleaded guilty to fraud involving campaign funds.
Becerra himself has not been accused of wrongdoing in that matter.
Supporters defended his record and argued that many of the attacks were politically motivated.
Former Biden White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain previously told CNN that Becerra inherited difficult situations and worked tirelessly to address them.
As the governor’s race continues to unfold, another closely watched California contest remains unresolved.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has already secured a place in the November election, but the battle for second place remains undecided, CNN reported.
Reality television personality Spencer Pratt continues to hold second place, though City Councilwoman Nithya Raman has gained ground as additional ballots are counted.
For Democrats statewide, however, Friday’s projection removed one major concern.
Regardless of who ultimately joins him on the ballot, Xavier Becerra will be competing for California governor this November.
Trump Admin Says It Uncovered $10 Billion Obamacare Fraud Scheme
The Trump administration says it has uncovered what it describes as a massive fraud scheme within the Affordable Care Act.
Members of Trump’s administration allege that roughly $10 billion in taxpayer money was improperly paid out between 2021 and 2024 because of weakened enrollment safeguards under former President Joe Biden.
According to a Department of Health and Human Services report, officials have already removed nearly three million fraudulent or improper Obamacare enrollments and estimate another 2.6 million questionable enrollments remain.
Administration officials say the findings are part of a broader government-wide effort to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse across federal programs.
The report traces the alleged problems to changes made during the Biden administration that expanded enrollment opportunities while relaxing income verification and eligibility checks.
At the start of Biden’s presidency, approximately 10 million people were enrolled through the Affordable Care Act exchanges. By 2024, enrollment had surged to roughly 22 million.
Federal investigators now believe millions of those enrollments were improper, fraudulent, or created without the knowledge of the individuals involved.
“By our estimate, improper, phantom, and fraudulent enrollment peaked at 5.6 million people in 2025,” the report states.
“We estimate 2.6 million improper and phantom enrollments remain, including over 1 million enrollments without a Social Security number.”
According to the report, several different forms of abuse contributed to the alleged fraud.
Officials say some applicants intentionally understated their income to qualify for larger taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Others allegedly received premium assistance despite failing to meet eligibility requirements.
Investigators also identified what they describe as “phantom enrollments,” in which insurance brokers allegedly enrolled people in Obamacare plans without their knowledge to collect federal commissions.
The report argues that reduced verification requirements made those practices significantly easier to carry out.
Since taking office, the Trump administration says it has restored stricter income verification requirements, ended several special enrollment periods, increased screening for duplicate Medicaid enrollment, and launched investigations into brokers suspected of creating phantom policies.
Officials also say they have strengthened oversight of agents participating in the federal marketplace.
As a result of those efforts, nearly three million enrollments have already been removed from the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Even after those removals, approximately 19.2 million people remain enrolled.
The administration says its goal is not to reduce legitimate coverage but to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent only on individuals who actually qualify.
“Preserving the fiscal and programmatic integrity of the ACA Exchanges is key to safeguarding taxpayer-funded resources for those that truly need them,” the report states.
“The federal government paying brokers to enroll individuals without their knowledge is not.”
The report also says the administration will continue pursuing additional enforcement actions against brokers and others accused of exploiting the program.
“The Trump Administration continues to aggressively root out fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption by promulgating new regulations to improve program integrity, investigating suspected improper or fraudulent enrollment, and taking action against agents and brokers committing fraud.”
The findings are likely to reignite debate over the Affordable Care Act and how aggressively eligibility rules should be enforced.
Supporters of the administration argue the report demonstrates that stricter oversight is necessary to protect taxpayers and preserve benefits for those legally entitled to receive them.
Critics of previous verification rollbacks have long warned that loosening enrollment safeguards could increase improper payments and fraud, while supporters of the Biden-era policies argued the changes made healthcare more accessible to eligible Americans, Fox News reported exclusively.
The administration says its investigations remain ongoing, with an estimated 2.6 million additional enrollments still under review as officials continue auditing the federal health insurance exchanges.
Trump has been pushing to replace Obamacare for over a decade, and this may give Republicans enough motivation to actually do something.
