California governor’s race still a toss-up as leading candidates battle for top spots

Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra lead the field as votes continue to be counted

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The key race for California governor was deadlocked as vote counting continued on Wednesday morning following primary elections to decide who would run in several critical districts in the US House and Senate in November.

With nearly 60% of the votes counted, Steve Hilton, a Republican, former UK political operative and Fox News host, was narrowly ahead. Xavier Becerra, a Democrat and the former health secretary who led the field after a tumultuous campaign, was in second place while Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmental activist running as a progressive, trailed in third.