Democrat Xavier Becerra won California’s governor race, a result that gives tribes planning a 2028 sports betting ballot measure a governor who has drawn tribal campaign support, though he has not said whether he backs gambling expansion.
Becerra defeated Republican Steve Hilton, the Associated Press reported. He had 4,992,161 votes, or 63.9%, to Hilton’s 2,815,459, or 36.1%, in the Secretary of State’s unofficial results as of 8:08 a.m. Wednesday, with all 23,860 precincts reporting. The results remain unofficial.
Several tribal gaming operators donated the maximum of $83,800 to Becerra’s campaign, including the Pechanga Band of Indians, Lytton Rancheria and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Gaming America reported. As attorney general, Becerra aligned with tribes in their long-running disputes with commercial cardrooms, but he has not publicly commented on whether he supports gambling expansion, the outlet said.
