SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two Democrats and a Republican were leading in early returns Tuesday in California's crowded primary for governor, a campaign that tested voters' appetites for an experienced politician or candidates promising change.

Democrat Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, pitched himself as a steady leader able to work the levers of government. Meanwhile fellow Democrat and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer promised progressive change. And Republican Steve Hilton, a conservative commentator and former British political adviser, said he would give the famously liberal state a badly needed reset after years of one-party rule.

“Change is coming to California, and it’s long overdue," Hilton said in Southern California on election night.

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’s roughly 23 million voters.

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 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.

Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Democrats Katie Porter, a former member of Congress; and Matt Mahan, the mayor of San Jose were among other contenders in the race. Mahan conceded in a speech to supporters shortly after polls closed.

Affordability has been a key theme

The through line of the race was how to tackle the state's notoriously high cost of living.

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’s 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.

Steyer campaigned as a progressive, promising to eliminate private health insurance in favor of a government-run system with no premiums and to raise taxes on corporations and the ultrawealthy like himself.

Source: WPLG