A week after polls closed in California’s closely watched open gubernatorial primary last Tuesday—following a slow trickle of votes that fueled unsubstantiated claims of fraud from the president—Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton will advance to the November general election, winnowing down a crowded race to succeed two-term Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has held the position since 2019.

Since 2011, California has had a “jungle primary” system that allows voters to choose any one candidate for statewide offices, like the governor’s seat, regardless of their party—a method that sometimes yields runoffs of two Democrats or two Republicans. Out of the 62 names on the ballot, Becerra, the former state Attorney General and Health and Human Services Secretary under Biden, and Trump-endorsed Republican and former Fox News host Steve Hilton........

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