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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — <\/span>California’s gubernatorial primary comes to a close Tuesday as voters choose from an extensive field of candidates hoping to replace termed-out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.<\/p>\n The end of the voting period, which began in early May, concludes a chaotic contest without a clear front-runner. Candidates tried to elbow each other out<\/a> in the final stretch as each sought to convince voters that they were best prepared to lead the most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.<\/p>\n California puts all candidates on a single primary ballot regardless of party, and the top two finishers advance to the November general election. About 60 candidates were on the ballot, most of them largely unknown to the state\u2019s roughly 23 million voters. <\/p>\n On the Democratic side, top contenders include Xavier Becerra<\/a>, a former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary; Tom Steyer<\/a>, a billionaire climate activist; Katie Porter<\/a>, a former member of Congress; and Matt Mahan<\/a>, the mayor of San Jose. <\/p>\n The two most prominent Republicans are conservative commentator Steve Hilton<\/a> and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Democrats campaigned on fighting Trump administration attacks on the state\u2019s liberal policies, while Republicans vowed to bring change after more than 15 years of Democratic leadership in Sacramento. But the through line of the race was how to tackle the state’s notoriously high cost of living. <\/p>\n Drivers were paying $6.08 per gallon at the pump as of the end of May, $1.65 higher than the national average, according to AAA. Meanwhile the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office has estimated that the typical home is about $775,000, more than double the national average. And Californians pay the second-highest residential electricity rates behind Hawaii, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.<\/p>\n Some candidates proposed suspending the state\u2019s gas taxes, which total roughly 70 cents a gallon, while others floated subsidizing in-state tuition at public colleges. A few of the Democrats said they would eliminate private health insurance in favor of a government-run system with no premiums, while the Republicans vowed to increase oil and gas production and reduce regulations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe truth is that we\u2019ve gone off track \u2014 we\u2019ve got one-party rule,\u201d Hilton said at a debate in May. \u201cThe results have been such a disappointment. It is time for some balance.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier in the race, Democrats worried about possibly being locked out of the general election even though they count 45% of the state’s registered voters compared to Republicans’ 25%. <\/p>\n The concern was that their relatively crowded field of candidates could split the Democratic vote enough for the two Republicans to advance under the single primary system, which was first used at the statewide level in 2014. <\/p>\n Two candidates from the same party have never made the general election in a California governor’s race, though it happened twice for U.S. Senate elections in 2016 and 2018. <\/p>\n Recent developments, however, have diminished Democrats\u2019 fears as a few candidates emerged as leading contenders. In the race’s final days it was Hilton warning that Republicans could be locked out if they failed to coalesce behind him.<\/p>\n Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell\u2019s resignation and withdrawal from the race after sexual assault allegations were made against him left an opening for Becerra, who previously had struggled to gain traction. <\/p>\n Highlighting his long political resume, Becerra started raising more money and won the endorsements of powerful labor groups and Latino legislative leaders. <\/p>\n But that momentum also made him a target, and his rivals criticized his leadership as health secretary including his handling of an influx of unaccompanied migrant children<\/a> at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021, when Becerra’s Department of Health and Human Services was responsible for shelters where they were housed. Some of them were criticized as having inadequate living conditions<\/a>, and there were also concerns about authorities failing to thoroughly vet sponsors with whom some children were placed. <\/p>\n \u201cThe secretary has never met a crisis that he couldn’t ignore,\u201d Mahan said at a debate in April.<\/p>\n