If you fell into a minor coma over the weekend and woke up to look at the June 2, 2026, California primary election results, please sit down. Take a deep breath. Drink some oat milk.
No, the matrix hasn’t completely collapsed, but the Golden State’s political landscape has officially entered its chaotic reality-TV era.
We just witnessed a jungle primary that felt less like a civic duty and more like a crossover episode between The West Wing, The Hills, and a highly dramatic Fox News broadcast. Between a former British political operative leading the governor’s race and an actual MTV reality star sliding into second place for the Los Angeles mayoral seat, California voters collectively looked at the ballot and said, “Let’s make it weird.”
Oh, and while California was counting ballots, national media was busy imploding: legendary anchor Scott Pelley was abruptly fired by CBS News after a fiery clash with executives, claiming he was ordered to “inject falsehoods and bias” into political stories.
Let’s break down the absolute madness of the 2026 California election results, what actually happened, and why your group chats are currently melting down.
1. The LA Mayoral Race: Spencer Pratt is (Unironically) Heading to a Runoff
Let’s start with the headline that sounds like a piece of localized satirical fan fiction: Spencer Pratt might actually become the next Mayor of Los Angeles.
Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass did exactly what she was expected to do, securing the top spot with 36.5% of the vote. She ran on a platform of continuing her efforts to curb street homelessness, building affordable housing, and keeping the city stable. Classic, textbook, normie politics.
But because this is Los Angeles—a city built on the literal concept of cinematic plot twists—she didn’t get the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. And who is standing across from her in the November ring? Spencer Pratt.
Yes, that Spencer Pratt. The man who fueled a decade of early-2000s tabloid drama on The Hills, the crystal-loving, TikTok-native icon has captured 30.1% of the vote, completely knocking progressive City Councilwoman Nithya Raman (20.2%) out of the running.
2026 LA Mayoral Primary Standings
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Karen Bass (D-Incumbent) │ 36.5% │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Spencer Pratt (R-Upstart) │ 30.1% │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Nithya Raman (D-Progressive)│ 20.2% │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘Pratt’s campaign managed to channel the ultimate “disruptor energy,” capturing a bizarre coalition of fed-up voters, populist conservatives, and presumably people who just want to see city council meetings broadcasted on TikTok with face filters. He is officially heading to the general election in November. If you had “Spencer Pratt debating affordable housing zoning laws on live television” on your 2026 bingo card, please go buy a lottery ticket immediately.
2. The Governor’s Race: Barefoot in Downing Street to the Top of the California Ticket
If the local LA scene wasn’t surreal enough, the statewide race to succeed Gavin Newsom (who is termed out and presumably prepping a 2028 presidential run) is an absolute multi-verse level event.
With more than half the ballots counted, Steve Hilton is leading the jungle primary with 27.6% of the vote.
For the uninitiated, Steve Hilton’s resume reads like it was generated by a malfunctioning AI:
- Former director of strategy for British Prime Minister David Cameron (where he was famous for walking around 10 Downing Street barefoot).
- Moved to the US, became a naturalized citizen in 2021, and renounced his British citizenship in 2023.
- Hosted a show on Fox News.
- Secured the endorsement of Donald Trump.
Hilton is currently holding off Democrat Xavier Becerra (25.5%), the former US Health and Human Services Secretary, who inherited the mainstream Democratic mantle after Congressman Eric Swalwell’s campaign completely imploded back in April amid a wave of misconduct allegations. Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer is sitting in third at 19.6%.
The Jungle Primary Reality Check: Because California uses a “Top-Two” primary system, Hilton and Becerra will face off in November. Republicans haven’t won a statewide race in California since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. Hilton even cracked a joke at his watch party, reminding everyone that “an immigrant was the governor of California not that long ago.”
Whether a former British tech-conglomerate adviser turned Fox News host can actually win the governorship of the world’s fourth-largest economy remains the ultimate cliffhanger for November.
3. Culture Wars and Media Implosions
The primary results also highlighted deep ideological rifts across the state, stretching from school boards to network television boardrooms.
The Rise of Sonja Shaw
Over in the race for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, culture-war lightning rod Sonja Shaw has taken a commanding lead with 24.7% of the vote. The former Chino Valley Unified School Board President—who made national headlines for her fierce clashes over parental notification policies regarding transgender students—is leading Democrat Richard Barrera (19.7%). This positions the state for a massive, hyper-polarized showdown in November over the future of California’s 10,000 public schools.
The Scott Pelley Fallout
Meanwhile, voters checking their feeds for Fox News California election results were greeted by a massive national media scandal. Scott Pelley, one of CBS’s most revered journalists, was abruptly fired from 60 Minutes following a dramatic confrontation with network executives. Pelley didn’t go quietly; he released a bombshell statement accusing new management of instructing him to “inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story.” The timing has sent shockwaves through political junkies who rely on mainstream reporting during an already chaotic election cycle.
4. County Breakdown: The Sluggish Mail-In Grind
While the top of the ticket looks like a Hollywood writers’ strike fever dream, the county-level data shows that California’s political machine is moving at its usual glacial pace.
- San Francisco & Alameda County: Establishment Democrats largely held their ground. Tech-backed primary challenges attempted to drop millions to reshape local leadership, but veteran lawmakers managed to construct a firm moderate firewall.
- San Diego & Fresno County: In these highly competitive regions, the vote counting remains a sluggish grind. For instance, in Fresno County, early data shows Steve Hilton dominating the conservative base with over 38% of local votes, while Xavier Becerra trails at 19.5%.
- The Mail-In Buffer: Because California allows mail-in ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, final, certified results in tight local races won’t be fully locked in until July.
The Takeaway: Grab Your Popcorn for November
The 2026 midterms were always going to be a fascinating temperature check on how California feels about the national political climate. But nobody expected the temperature check to reveal that the state is running a mild delirium.
We are officially staring down a November general election where voters will choose between institutional stability and peak reality-era populism. It’s Karen Bass vs. Spencer Pratt. It’s Xavier Becerra vs. a barefoot British political guru turned Fox News host.
Welcome to California politics in 2026. Keep your crystals charged and your mail-in ballots ready.