Return to Transcripts main page
Laura Coates Live
Polls Close In California Amid Battle For Governor, L.A. Mayor; Randy Feenstra Concedes Race. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired June 02, 2026 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[23:00:00]
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR AND SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It comes after Pelley called out the network's leadership in a tensed staff meeting. He said that they were unqualified for their jobs and accused the new editor-in-chief of trying to kill "60 Minutes." In a letter informing Pelley of his firing, the new executive producer called Pelley's outburst performative and an ambush. He said that Pelley has disparaged him with remarkable incivility and contempt, adding "your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear."
You can ahead to CNN.com for more updates on that story. Thank you for watching "NewsNight." Our special coverage continues right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
MAYOR KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: No time for amateurs. We don't need a T.V. reality show villain.
SPENCER PRATT, L.A. MAYORAL CANDIDATE: We don't want your experience anymore. You burned down my whole town with your experience, ma'am.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I heard he's a big MAGA person. He's doing well.
CROWD: Becerra!
XAVIER BECERRA, CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: We are not going to let a billionaire or Trump's hand-picked candidate take over this state.
UNKNOWN: We've had the same people in charge for 16 years now.
TOM STEYER, CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm the person who's actually talking about how to change California and make it better for working people.
UNKNOWN: Californians can decide for themselves about my temperament.
PRATT: I think there's a tsunami of votes coming from all the people that are done with politics as usual.
BASS: I am all about change. That's why I ran in the first place. We are going to continue making change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA COATES, CNN HOST AND SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to a special edition of "Laura Coates Live: Election Night in America." Elex Michaelson is in L.A. with us for the next two hours. He's breaking down the results and what they tell us about the fight for the November midterms. Look, six states are holding their primaries tonight. But the biggest races we're watching are where the polls just closed. I'm talking about California.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: And speaking of California, first, the battle to replace term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom. It is a crowded primary with an unusual set-up, all candidates on the same ballot. The top two highest vote-getters will move on to November regardless of party. Polling has shown a few names at the top: Democrat, former HHS secretary, Xavier Becerra; progressive billionaire Tom Steyer; and former Fox News host, Republican, Steve Hilton.
COATES: We're also following the wild race for Los Angeles mayor. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass is trying to hold off two very different (INAUDIBLE) challengers: Trump-backed reality star Spencer Pratt, who's upended the race with his viral insurgent campaign, and progressive council member Nithya Raman. Now, if no one breaks 50 percent, the top two will move on to a November runoff.
We've got the full team here tonight. We've got reporters on the ground. We've got analysts at the table. John King is ready to walk us through the map at the magic wall. You know what? That's exactly where we're going to start. So, John, tell me, what are you watching for in the California governor's race as those results are now starting to come in?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The results will start to come in as I'm standing here talking to you, Laura. Hello to Elex as well out in L.A. Results might come in right as we do. What we'll see first are early votes. Sometimes, they come in pretty quickly. One warning to anybody watching tonight. We'll get you as much as we can over the next few hours. But we may not know the end results here for days. Some people think it could take even longer. California is traditionally slow counting its votes. And when you have a jungle primary like this, we'll see what happens.
But, as you know, at the top, again, a lot of people watching elsewhere in the country say what's a jungle primary? What's an open primary? All the Democrats and Republicans run in one race. The top two get to go on in November. And so, that's the big question. California right now has a Democratic governor. It is still a blue state.
But who will be on the ballot in November? The late polls showed some movement by Xavier Becerra. He was the former state attorney general, served in the Biden cabinet. He was moving up. Elex just mentioned Steve Hilton, a Fox News host. Will there be a Democrat versus a Republican in November or will we have two Democrats? Possibility, you could have two Republicans. That would defy the late polls in this race. But that's possible as well. So, we're waiting to see as these results come in.
Tom Steyer, some of you not in California might remember, he ran for president in 2020. He's a billionaire. He's self-funded. He's also a very progressive candidate. So, some progressives have said, oh, I don't generally like billionaires, but wow, I like what he's saying. So, we'll watch how this one all plays out as the results start to come in in this primary.
Just a reminder, you said at the top of the show, this is a race to replace Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom won with nearly 60 percent of the vote four years ago. Brian Dahle was the state senator. He got 40 percent of the vote.
So, yes, California is a blue state. But one question, Laura, as we go through this cycle is, there's a lot of frustration with politics in both parties. You're seeing it in this gubernatorial open primary. You're seeing it in the mayor's race in Los Angeles. We're seeing it all across the country on primary nights and in my travels.
So, do Democrats get a little thumped in California because they're in charge, just like the biggest midterm dynamic is for people here in Washington?
[23:05:03]
Do Republicans get thumped in House and Senate races because they're in charge? So, California is pretty interesting this year.
COATES: Well, take me to San Francisco because I'm watching that seat that's up for grabs, which is Nancy Pelosi's at one time.
KING: Nancy Pelosi's seat. Let's come into San Francisco. Let's come on out here. There we go. And we come up here. This is the Pelosi seat here. We got to come up to the open primary here. Let's come down here and get it. There we go. Again, open primary. So again, this is Nancy Pelosi's seat. I'll move this back over here so everybody can see it. You see a number of candidates in this race as you come through them right here. Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Connie Chan. Scott Wiener is viewed as the front runner in this race. We have no results just yet.
Again, this is a safe seat. So, you know, a Democrat versus a Democrat. This state is going to stay blue. But it does represent one of the big things we're tracking in this midterm year. There's a lot of generational change. A lot of leaders who've been around the scene for a long time who are moving on. There are still some primaries where you have that battle. A younger person running against the older, more established person. And there's a generational fight to it. This will change generationally.
Nancy Pelosi's seat, California's 11th district, big deal, right? She's a historic figure in the Democratic Party who will be moving on. That's one of the big -- it gets buried sometimes under the who's going to control the Senate, who's going to control the House, who's going to be the California governor. But that will be a big piece of the history when 2026 is written.
COATES: It will, indeed. John King, please, stand by. I want to go now to CNN's Kyung Lah, who is outside Spencer Pratt's headquarters. Kyung, I mean, his campaign, it has been loud, it has been unconventional, it has gone viral at times. How is the campaign feeling as it's waiting to see if that viral online energy translates to actual votes?
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the campaign isn't exactly talking right now. And let me kind of walk you through why. I mean, I've covered a lot of campaigns, Laura, but not anything like this. You see this dark curtain here? This dark curtain is basically all in front of Don Antonio's Mexican restaurant. And the reason why is because instead of having a traditional watch party, they have decided to essentially have only invited guests. They've kicked out members of the public as well as the press.
So, what do see here? The press is left on the sidewalk. It has turned into a bit of a circus atmosphere. I mean, I've talked to some of his supporters who are floating around, talking to the press. And they feel very excited. They think that he's going to make it into the November ballot.
But right now, as far as what the campaign is doing, again, very unconventional. They don't have a traditional campaign person talking to press. All we know is that they're having a party, there's some good music, but they're not really talking right now.
So, as far as his supporters, Laura, I can tell you that they do feel that he has tapped into something, that he is talking about the issues that really frustrate some of the voters, from affordability to trying to rebuild, to trying to take care of homelessness. And so, those are some of the issues that are palatable, that he has brought through this unconventional campaign, Laura.
COATES: Kyung Lah, stand by. Thank you so much. Joining me around the table, not outside of an actual campaign headquarters, this political dream team of mine. CNN anchor and chief political correspondent Dana Bash, we got political commentators David Urban and Kate Bedingfield, senior politics reporter for Axios, Marc Caputo, and CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro.
First of all, I would demand nachos if you have.
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, JOURNALIST FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES, PODCAST HOST: I was about to say --
COATES: I mean, at least give me that. Dana, OK, people want to write off Spencer --
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: -- I'm sorry.
COATES: It's OK. But you've got your mind. I want to pick that for a second because --
BASH: All right. COATES: -- people have tried to write off Spencer Pratt as a reality T.V. star. Maybe the word "star" might be even generous for his role. But here we are. And, frankly, his chances are maybe not as slim as people thought initially.
BASH: Well, the fact that he's even in the hunt, in a very democratic city like Los Angeles, that certainly speaks to that. Look, this is another example, certainly a different flavor right now, of somebody who is tapping into the frustrations of name your place, name your town, name your state, wherever, of people who don't feel like they are listened to by the elected leaders where they live and are frustrated by the cost of living.
In this case, it's very specific. The very difficult time that they're having in rebuilding after the fires in Los Angeles and the cost of housing, even regardless of that. And it goes on and on and on. And he went viral. And he is somebody who is sort of kind of speaking for a lot of people for now.
[23:10:02]
We'll see what happens tonight. And then ultimately, even if he does get to a runoff, the question is, can somebody who is a Republican survive in a very democratic city in a runoff?
COATES: I mean, you want viral moments to get attention to your campaign, but does it translate to actual votes?
KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It doesn't always, frankly. And I think particularly in a local race, even in a city like Los Angeles, one of the biggest in the country, biggest media markets, sort of -- you know, there's outsized media attention, you know, given to a mayoral race in Los Angeles as compared to other places in the country. But, ultimately, mayoral race is about how you are connecting with the community, how you're connecting with the voters who you're actually trying to turn out in your coalition.
And so, Spencer Pratt has made some very eye-popping ads. He has made some very entertaining ads. But I think he -- one, I'm not sure that his campaign is connecting on the community level the way you need to turn people out in a mayoral race.
And two, I think even though he does carry this kind of, you I'm going to tear up the status quo and I'm not the establishment persona, he also, in a very democratic city, brings a lot of Trump-esque baggage. And there's a lot of frustration with Trump and a lot of question as to whether, you know, somebody like Donald Trump who came in promising to bring down costs because he was going to, you know, blast through the establishment, and hasn't done that. I think Spencer Pratt probably carries a little bit of that baggage in this race tonight.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: I don't know. I don't know. I'll tell you why. I was just in L.A. I just got back this morning.
COATES: Thank you for coming.
(LAUGHTER)
GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's not why I came, but I'm glad to be here. Like being in L.A., definitely when I'm watching those tacos. But listen, you know, you look at a city like Los Angeles and it is a city that has been barraged by a lot of natural disasters. It has been mismanaged. It has an unpopular mayor in Mayor Bass.
And also, let me just say that when you have one party rule in a state, whether it be Texas or whether it be California, people focus on the one party. They can't blame their problems on Donald Trump. They can't blame their problems on Washington, D.C. You know, you talk to any Californian or any Los Angelino, and let me tell you, they know who to blame, and they blame Democrats.
DAVID URBAN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: Yes, especially the local level, I think, right? That's the difference. You can nationalize a lot of things. You can't nationalize if your trash isn't getting picked up correctly, right? Or if your permits are running too long, right?
This race -- remember Howard Beale, the character Howard Beale in "Network," throws open the window and says, I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore? That's what's happening in Los Angeles. People are mad as hell. They're not going to take it anymore. They don't care if it were Karen Bass or Donald Trump running there. They just want a change. They want their trash picked up. They want needles off their streets. They want permits done quickly. They just want their government to work. That's what people want writ large. But on a localized level, it's not happening.
COATES: We do have some first results coming in for the governors, I want to hear your opinion on this as well, that were just starting to come in right now. Look at those numbers. Now, it's early, of course. Six percent of the estimated votes are in. Polls did close. But you've got, so far, Steve Hilton leading the pack by about 16,000 votes. But, again, it is early right now.
To the point he was raising, Marc, I mean, just collectively here, the idea of when it's one party rule, essentially, or people want someone to blame, I mean, there is fair criticism to the incumbent mayor in Los Angeles. How will that affect this race?
MARC CAPUTO, SENIOR POLITICS REPORTER, AXIOS: I think the results of the fires speak for themselves, the reason that Spencer Pratt has taken off as a candidate as he has been able to argue, my house was burned down because there wasn't enough water in the fire hydrants. And Karen Bass, as a congresswoman, essentially didn't have much to brag about. I think Kate could speak to this. She was not selected by Joe Biden to be a running mate. She was on the short list, though they found out that she praised Fidel Castro. She has a legacy of failed leftism in her past. It's just not a record of performance and excellence.
And when you have a major disaster, that's when the stress test is applied to a candidate and a politician's chops. Small fissures become giant fractures under pressure, and nothing brings a pressure like a wildfire and 16,000 structures destroyed in a county alone.
BASH: Can I just say one thing about what we're watching there because, you know, again, it's only six percent in and you see Republican Hilton on top? One of the things that we're going to be watching over the next couple of hours, and sorry but we should brace ourselves days and maybe even week because it takes a long time to count votes, because ballots have like almost a week to come in in California, is that Republicans tend to vote on day off, especially in California.
[23:15:03]
And so, this is one of the places where we're going to see what we call red mirage, potentially, and that's what we're seeing right now. Again, it's very, very early, but it's something to think about as we watch these results come in.
COATES: Red mirage has consequences, though, of how people view the trust of elections. We've seen that time and time.
CAPUTO: I know. I'm from Florida. And I know --
(LAUGHTER)
URBAN: I'll join -- I'll join with you, Marc. I'll join with you.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: It's a lot. They allowed the ballots.
COATES: The two Floridians are --
(CROSSTALK)
CAPUTO: And I've covered elections meltdowns there. And by and large, the problems have been fixed. And meanwhile, California gets so little attention for just running this sort shambolic election that lasts forever.
(CROSSTALK)
URBAN: They want a new governor. They want a new way to govern their state. They can't even get an election done correctly, right? I mean, for God's sakes, this is America. We should know tonight. Maybe tomorrow, right? We should be able to get this done. We bank on our phones. We do everything. We transfer money. We do everything instantaneously. It's going to take them a month to count votes? It's a joke.
COATES: You heard it here. David Urban thinks that every election should be litigated immediately.
URBAN: It should be. I am --
COATES: There you go. I'm just saying. I mean --
URBAN: I'm all about it. COATES: -- some have it for years. Everyone, stand by. We got a lot more to talk about tonight. Our coverage just getting started. Much more ahead on that crowded battle for governor. The big question, will Democrats back a billionaire to make the runoff? And what about Trump- backed Steve Hilton? Look at the numbers so far. That's all next on this special edition of "Laura Coates Live: Election Night in America."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Polls across the state of California are now closed. The results slowly coming in for the state's crowded race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom. CNN's Arlette Saenz is live at the headquarters for one of the leading candidates in the field, Xavier Becerra. Arlette, what's the mood inside there as we start to see these first numbers?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Elex, just a sliver of those results has started to come in, and that was enough to prompt the crowd here at Xavier Becerra's campaign watch party, to erupt out in cheers and applause. Becerra's campaign is really hoping that the momentum that they've seen in recent months will carry him through a primary day and get him into one of those top two spots in this primary.
There was a point in time where Becerra was polling in the low digits, but he has seen this real surge, especially in the aftermath of Congressman Eric Swalwell dropping out of the race as he had faced allegations of sexual assault. So, Becerra's campaign is hoping that his long track record, his long political resume is something that will sit well with voters as they made their decisions today.
But he is going to face a very tough fight against several other gubernatorial candidates, including Republican Steve Hilton. His team has been very confident that he will make it into one of those top two spots, even though you also have Sheriff Chad Bianco, another Republican in this race, taking parts of the Republican vote, potentially splitting those. That is something that Hilton has spoken about and warned about in recent days as he tried to urge voters to head, to support him over Bianco.
And then there is the Tom Steyer factor up north. He is running as a progressive, though he is a billionaire. He has poured millions of his own personal fortune into this contest, but has been really running with this progressive populist message. Allies of his believe that there could be some late-breaking voters heading his way.
Now, one thing that's critical to note here is that Democrats were actually returning, holding on to their mail-in ballots for much longer compared to previous primaries, suggesting that there had been some indecision and last-minute decision-making in this contest. But later tonight or potentially tomorrow, depending how long this goes, we will find out whether this will be a Democrat and a Republican facing off in November or a Democrat versus Democrat race.
MICHAELSON: Yes. It very well could be after tonight. Arlette, thank you. We will check in with you throughout the night. I want to bring in my all-star panel. Former Democratic senator from California, Barbara Boxer, the former Republican lieutenant governor, Abel Maldonado, who served with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data and owner of Redistricting Partners, who knows the data of California better than anybody. Great to have all of you from different perspectives here tonight. Happy election night. It's my favorite night of the year.
(LAUGHTER)
BARBARA BOXER, FORMER CALIFORNIA SENATOR: Well, that's because you never were on the ballot.
(LAUGHTER)
Those of us who were can tell you, it is strange.
MICHAELSON: Yes. What is -- what is the feeling right now? If you are a candidate, what is going through your mind at this point as you start to see the numbers?
BOXER: Well, I give a shout out to all of them, all of them, the Republicans, the Democrats, the independents. What they're thinking is, could I have done one thing better? Could I have maybe knocked on one more door? Did I give it everything I had? Was my consultant the best consultant I could have? So, it's a very -- it's a difficult moment. But on the other side of it, you're calm because you know this is the day.
MICHAELSON: Yes. And for you, what was that like, election night?
ABEL MALDONADO, FORMER CALIFORNIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: You know, the one thing about election night, Elex, is that you work so hard and you always have that last day in mind, which kind of relieving, you know, that that day is here, and you work so hard and everybody has put everything into it. And I when a candidate is running for office, it demonstrates how a candidate is going to operate in office.
[23:25:02]
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MALDONADO: I mean, because the candidate is the leader of the campaign. And if the candidate does a great job, there's a good chance you're going to win the campaign. Obviously, here in California, it's a little different because, I mean, if you look at the registration, I mean, there are 10 million Democrats, there are five million Republicans, there are six million independents.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MALDONADO: No party preference. So, it's -- we got little bit more to go. But still, it's -- it's a relief on election day. MICHAELSON: Let's look at that. We're starting to see numbers, Paul. You're the numbers guy. You daily track who's turning in ballots from where. And this is our first look at numbers from the mayor's race. Just breaking. First time we've seen this.
This is Karen Bass, the incumbent mayor of Los Angeles, at 38.1 percent. Spencer Pratt, who is challenging her from her right, at 27.9 percent. Nithya Raman challenging her from her left, progressive city councilwoman, at 20.1 percent. That's at 39 percent reporting. Paul, first thought when you see that number.
PAUL MITCHELL, VICE PRESIDENT OF POLITICAL DATA, OWNER OF REDISTRICTING PARTNERS: So, first off, that's out of -- we know already 900,000 ballots, L.A. counties wide, about 400,000 ballots just in L.A. City. So, there's a lot to go in this election.
I think for Pratt to really have a chance, he probably needed a bigger number than this because the early vote is going to advantage him as a Republican. Republicans were turning in their ballots quicker in this election in L.A. City, L.A. County, and statewide. A lot of Democrats were kind of clutching their ballots, waiting to figure out what was going to happen in the governor's race.
And so, the way it works in California elections, these ballots come in these waves, and that later wave is probably going to be much more democratic. So, right now, that race is going to be fluid. We'll see potentially big changes as different tranches of ballots come in.
MICHAELSON: And the way that race works is somebody gets 50 percent, they become the mayor. It certainly doesn't look like that's going to happen. So, then, the top two will face off in a runoff. It's unclear who those two will be. That early number certainly indicates that Mayor Bass is probably going to be one of those two. Question is, who's she going to be running against?
That's a really interesting race. The governor's race also is a really interesting race. Senator, I know you've been following that closely. When you see this matchup, the Democrats that have emerged as sort of the leaders that we see in the numbers right now, which is Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra, how do you see the contrast between those two?
BOXER: Well, frankly, I don't think you could have two more different candidates. You know, they're very opposite. One has got this certain calmness about him.
MICHAELSON: Becerra.
BOXER: Really? You got it.
(LAUGHTER)
You've noticed that. Yes. And, you know, and Steyer, who I've seen on your show, who I know, I know both of them, who is, you know, just chopping at the bit to get ready to go. And I just want to give you a thought I have. It could be right or wrong. But I've talked to so many people who are voting for either -- for both. Some voting for Steyer. Some voting for Becerra. And what I get back is this notion of the chaos we have every day on the national level with Trump, with ballrooms and, you know, tearing down the East Wing of the White House, secret police and secret funds, and all the rest of it. And people just want calm, some people. Others, don't. They want --
MICHAELSON: Others want to fight back.
BOXER: They want to fight.
MICHAELSON: Because it hasn't exactly been calm with Governor Gavin Newsom, who is pretty good at getting himself in the national news every day as well.
BOXER: That's a very -- that's a good point.
MICHAELSON: And Becerra, very different than that in terms of promising. Almost totally opposite personality than our current governor.
BOXER: That's a great point.
MICHAELSON: And Abel, to you, in terms of the Republican race, you've got this very interesting challenge for running as a Republican because you've got to consolidate the Republican base, but that's not enough people to win statewide, so then you've got to expand the base.
So, Steve Hilton has been endorsed by Donald Trump. And just today, yet another post on Truth Social from Donald Trump encouraging people to vote for Steve Hilton. J.D. Vance, the vice president of the United States -- here's the post from Trump telling California to vote for Steve Hilton for governor. J.D. Vance telling people to vote for his friend, Steve Hilton. Is that a positive for Steve Hilton? What's the strategic value to that and how much does that have to do with Chad Bianco?
MALDONADO: Well, Elex, this is a primary. And if you look at the way President Trump has operated in Republican primaries -- he's 38 now. So, for him to come out and endorse Steve Hilton early, and then now endorse him again today, and then J.D. Vance, vice president, today, it guarantees pretty much Hilton is going to be one of the top two when it comes to the three Republicans who get out to vote. But in the long run, in the general election, I think the question you're asking me, it becomes a little bit more difficult. Look, this is a change election.
[23:30:00]
And I think it's really up to the Californian public to say, you know what, we're going to continue much of the same or we're going to have change. This has to be a change election completely for Steve Hilton to get elected.
MICHAELSON: And I think part of the reason for that post today is because there has been a question of whether Republicans would be locked out. And if Chad Bianco could get enough votes, that's trying to encourage Republicans to vote for Hilton, don't vote for Bianco. We've got lots more to get through all night. Stand by, everyone. Still ahead, Steve Hilton will join us later tonight as he watches the results come in. He's going to be live with us. Plus, John King back at the magic wall for an update on all the big races, including the action out of Iowa, and a race that could taint the president's primary record that Abel just talked to us about. You're watching "Election Night in America" exclusively on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:35:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: Early results coming in tonight out of California, giving us an early idea of where the races for governor and L.A. mayor might be headed. I'm going to get to CNN's John King. All right, John, tell me, it's early, but what is standing out to you right now about the California governor's race?
KING: It is early. What's standing out? Number one, California can be notoriously slow to count. We're up to about 37 percent of the estimated vote count. Let's see if that pace continues. It has been a pretty good pace so far. But I've been there, done that in the sense that, sometimes, things slow down, Laura, as you go through this.
Number two, at the moment, emphasis on at the moment, underline at the moment, you have a Democrat and a Republican as one and two in this race. There is no guarantee that holds up.
About Xavier Becerra, again, the former California attorney general, former congressman, former Biden administration cabinet member, leading right now by 5,665 votes in a state as large as California, a 5,000, 5,600 vote lead in this jungle primary right now.
Steve Hilton, a Republican, former Fox News host, a favorite of President Trump in this race, running second at the moment at 26. So, 26.2 to 26. Again, 5,665 votes separating them at the moment.
Tom Steyer in third at the moment, at 20 percent. I'm just going to duck down to the later candidates. Then you have a big drop to 11 percent for Chad Bianco, the other Republican who we thought could potentially be up top.
So, essentially, right now, unless something changes dramatically, you're looking at a Becerra-Hilton-Steyer race with the question being, as the rest of this vote comes in -- you know, they're essentially tied, right? There's a little bit of a little bit of a difference there. Can Steyer somehow leapfrog his way up? The top two will make it to the runoff.
And there's a big debate in California. I know the panel could talk about this. Do you want a Democrat versus a Republican? You think it's a blue state, so you think that Democrat would win, or do you want to guarantee a Democrat in the California governor's mansion by having two Democrats? That's logical, right? The Democrats would hold it if you're a Democrat. However, that means a bloody divisive race between Democrats from here to November. So, this is a big conversation and debate in California. We don't know where we are yet. We just know that this is a -- that that is fascinatingly competitive on top.
But I want to say this. I'm just going to come down to Los Angeles. Just got the first votes in Los Angeles. One more second. Let's see if more comes in as you walk through here. But half, they say there. That's 22, 29 to 22, 203. You see the split of the democratic vote in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is a very democratic city. But you do see a pretty sizable split here.
If you move down, let's just see. I want to come down here, come over here, move this, see the other Democratic candidates. Not that much. Trying to see what other Democratic candidates are getting for votes down there. Sorry, California, I just made you go away. That happens sometimes. Just trying to look at some of the democratic areas and see where the vote is. Come up here to the Sacramento area. Again, Mr. Hilton.
There are Republicans in California. It has been a long time since we've been talking about Republicans in California. But at the moment, 38 percent of the vote in, 58 votes. Mr. Hilton has now pulled ahead as we're having this conversation. So, Steve Hilton ahead by 58 votes. Again, 26 percent to 26 percent. Steyer at 20 percent, if you round that up. We got some counting to do, Laura, before we figure out. Do we even know tonight definitively who the top two are? We'll see.
COATES: It's all so fluid while we're watching you so closely. I mean, take me east, though, because the GOP primary for governor in Iowa, that hasn't yet been called. But what can you tell us so far?
KING: In a word, fascinating. This is a state that hasn't had a Democratic governor since 2011. Chet Culver left office. Democrats think they have a shot because their candidate is the state auditor. He has already been elected statewide.
Randy Feenstra is a congressman from this area of the state right here. He's running second right now to former businessman, Zach Lahn. Noteworthy anyway, but noteworthy because the president of the United States, Donald Trump, who's had a pretty good record in the last week to two weeks to a month or two in Republican primaries right now, maybe it helped Randy Feenstra. But at the moment, it hasn't helped him enough. Think about 98 percent of the vote counted. But, again, 1,776 vote-lead for Zach Lahn in the Iowa Republican governor's primary.
So, what are they doing right now? Laura, they're -- you know this part better than I do. They're meeting with the lawyers and the data people -- and the data people. They're trying to figure out what's out. You see this gray county down here. It's a very small rural county. But we have no votes from down there. And so, they have people who are just checking in with the secretary of state's office.
[23:40:01] Polk County, East Des Moines, 95 percent. But what's out? Right? What's out? Can you tell me what precinct is out, maybe? How many mail-in ballots are there? Were there provisional ballots today when people showed up maybe at the wrong polling place or maybe they thought they casted an earlier ballot?
So, when you're at 1,700 votes, 1,767 votes, there are conversations in all the headquarters about what are we missing? Any Is to dot or Ts to cross, people to call, as we wait for the final votes to come in? That is remarkably close.
COATES: We need you and your insight, so you can catch watching him on All Access all night long. Well, not all night long, but for a little while longer. Unless you want to stay all night long. How about 6 a.m.? Is that good for you? You good about that?
KING: I'll be here until the caffeine --
COATES: OK. Fine. Well, I don't know what's going to be. John, stand by. My panel is back with me right now. I want to go to you, Dana, because Josh Turek, he was backed by moderates like Pete Buttigieg. And some are looking at this and suggesting, well, is that the only way that there could be a flip of that Senate seat in that state, by going to the middle and abandoning these so-called progressive purity tests? What do you think?
BASH: Well, possibly. I think if you take a step back -- so you were talking about the now Democratic nominee to challenge Ashley Hinson, the Republican, in an open GOP seat. Joni Ernst is retiring. But if you take a step back on this race, on the governor's race that John was just talking about, this is a state, Iowa, that when I started covering politics was very purple. And over the past 10, 15 years, certainly during the Trump years, it's ruby red.
And one of the tests of the president's power or the flip side of that is the questions about whether or not what's going on in Iran and the repercussions, economic repercussions, not just gasoline. But in a place like Iowa, the fact that oil and fertilizer and everything else downstream --
COATES: All the farmers.
BASH: -- all the farmers and everybody else have really suffered. Whether or not it is going to show up on the ballot in these races in a place like Iowa, we don't know the answer to that. We do know that Josh Turek -- Democrats here, Chuck Schumer, he didn't officially endorse him. But you know, he sent --
CAPUTO: A lot of money.
BASH: -- who aligned with Chuck Schumer. A lot of money over there. But actually, Hinson, the Republican candidate, is considered, even by Democrats, extremely strong.
COATES: Tell me what the impact of all the money is from Schumer and how it might impact the race against Hinson. CAPUTO: Well, it helped in the primary. Turek overcame Wahls. There was a sort of a shadow battle between the Warren-induced Wahls and the Schumer quasi-endorsed Turek. And Turek came out. But then, again, money really helps. It doesn't buy happiness, but it puts a down payment on the campaign.
I think, ultimately, the important thing to look at with Iowa is that it might be one of these sleeper states not saying that Democrats are going to win. But if the president's poll numbers continue to decline, if economic anxiety continues to rise along with gas prices, that's one of those states you could start to flip.
When you zoom out on the entire map, North Carolina looks like the best pickup for Democrats to take. There are 53 Republican senators right now. If Democrats take North Carolina, obviously, it knocks down the Republicans to 52.
There's a surprisingly interesting story that's happening in Alaska, of all places. A red state where Dan Sullivan just got a new opponent named Dan Sullivan.
(LAUGHTER)
And so, there's now a lawsuit over that.
COATES: There's like a new heart show, right? Mother, brother, Darrell. Mother, brother, Darrell. OK.
CAPUTO: Mary Peltola, the congresswoman, that is viewed as a possible pickup in a sort of a kind of a quasi-Black swan scenario where things go really well for Democrats.
There's also Ohio. Sherrod Brown is trying to make a comeback. That's sort of an open seat. The incumbent is appointed (INAUDIBLE). So, there are -- this is -- this is the best election Democrats are going to have in a while to be able to flip the Senate.
URBAN: I would just say this really quickly.
UNKNOWN: I love it.
URBAN: You know, the numbers, if you look at the polling, Marc is correct, there a lot of good opportunities. That assumes that the electorate thinks that Democrats can do a better job. And if you look at the numbers, that doesn't pull forward. If you look at who handles the economy better, Republicans still pull better. On national security issues, Republicans still pull better. Despite --
GARCIA-NAVARRO: By a very small margin.
URBAN: Listen, despite Trump's --
(CROSSTALK)
In places like Alaska, in places like Iowa --
CAPUTO: Fair.
URBAN: -- I'm sure those numbers poll a lot better.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Can I tell you something where that kind of make sense, but I don't think it really does, and this is why.
[23:45:02]
Normally, in elections when you have an unpopular president, the people who are running statewide or nationally, but statewide in this midterm, are able to run away from the president, right? They're able to say, this guy isn't popular, he doesn't have a lot of coattails, so we're going to make this hyperlocal, we're just going to talk about the issues that matter to me. Now, unfortunately, with this particular president, that isn't possible. No Republican can run away from the anchor that is President Trump. And so, that, I believe, is going to be very interesting when we look at these races because I think it scrambles some of these sorts of assumptions.
CAPUTO: What about Susan Collins in Maine? She might be able to do it.
BEDINGFIELD: Iowa is a particularly interesting test case on this because there are so many factors that are so tied to actions Donald Trump has taken that people are feeling in their lives. There's Medicaid cuts in the one big beautiful bill. Dana was talking about Iran. There's a story Ashley Hinson was caught on a hot, saying that she believes that the Iran conflict is a political drag for her in Iowa. Obviously, the tariffs having significant impact, particularly on the agricultural industry in Iowa.
So, you know, for Josh Turek, for Rob Sand who's running for governor. By the way, speaking of Kim Reynolds, actually a fairly unpopular outgoing Republican governor. So, there's a very pointed case that Democrats can make in Iowa tying the frustration people are feeling to concrete actions Donald Trump has taken, and that's a good pathway toward a successful midterm election.
COATES: Stand by, everyone. We got a lot more to talk about. And Elex, thank you for joining us this hour. We got more ahead with you. We'll keep tracking the results out of California ahead where Newsom's redrawn maps face their first real test. Plus, more than 40 percent of the vote in. The L.A. mayor's race with Karen Bass in the lead at the moment, with Spencer Pratt on her trail. More election night coverage right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MICHAELSON: Breaking news, Republican Randy Feenstra has conceded in the gubernatorial primary for governor in Iowa. CNN has not yet projected this race. But if Feenstra is out, and he certainly thinks that he is, this is a loss for Trump since he was the candidate that Trump endorsed. Assuming Zach Lahn wins, he will go on to face Democratic candidate Rob Sand, who ran unopposed in his party primary.
We are tracking races up and down the ballot in the California primaries. Right now, in the governor's race, Republican Steve Hilton is off to a tight but early lead against Democrat Xavier Becerra. We are also keeping an eye on the primary to replace former House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. State Senator Scott Wiener has been viewed as the favorite in the race. Pelosi herself endorsed San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan, who is also running against progressive Saikat Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We are looking at our first numbers in on that. You see Wiener up as expected, but Chan in second. Remember, the top two advanced regardless of party
Former Senator Barbara Boxer is back along with Abel Maldonado and Paul Mitchell. Senator, let's go to you because you used to be the congressperson for San Francisco. So, you knew a thing or two about this district. Nancy Pelosi is one of your best friends in politics as well who endorsed Connie Chan. How do you see this race?
BOXER: I'm with Nancy.
(LAUGHTER)
I mean, I would follow her off her bridge. And she selected this supervisor. I don't know many of them or most of them, but I trust her judgment. She has reasons why she does things. And it's all about her love of the city. Who can get it done? You know, Nancy is a progressive, but she's a pragmatic progressive, and I think that's what she's looking for.
MICHAELSON: But yet, her choice is not in first place. Abel, Scott Wiener, the senator, not beloved by Republicans, but in a place like deep blue San Francisco, a lot of his housing policy, his LGBTQ advocacy, you know, has been a winning message.
MALDONADO: Well, I think, to Senator Boxer's comment that Nancy chooses right and she's pragmatic -- she's progressive but pragmatic and chose Connie Chan, I mean, it says -- but this race will go to November.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MALDONADO: And former Speaker Pelosi will have her shot again in November with her candidate. I mean, it's not over, obviously, but 28 percent should be in second place. It'll be a Scott Wiener-Connie Chan race in November. And I can guarantee you that if Nancy endorsed her in the primary, she's going to be all in in the general.
MICHAELSON: Yes.
MALDONADO: One million percent.
MICHAELSON: And before Pelosi was in that job, the Burton family was in that seat, iconic family in California who -- and it has not been a Burton or a Pelosi in that seat since the Kennedy administration. So, this will be a new era for San Francisco. Let's talk about the governor's race. Paul Mitchell, who runs data modeling better than anybody, sort of predicting all of these, you're seeing in real time results, seeing things in the results that most of us are not. How do you see the early numbers in terms of where they are compared to your projections?
MITCHELL: So, in the governor's race, it's interesting. Coming into this, we knew that Tom Steyer was really getting a message out to younger voters, more progressive voters. And if there was a surge for Steyer here at the end, that's the voters that he was really counting on. And there are certain counties in the state where there are more of those young progressive voters like in Santa Clara, Alameda County, Santa Cruz.
[23:54:58]
Some of those areas, the model showed that these first data drops should, based on the composition of the people who'd voted so far, should actually advantage Steyer. It looks like Becerra is actually winning there. And then in L.A. and even like Riverside where Becerra really needs to create a buffer and advantage over Steyer, he's gaining that. So, right now, the numbers are looking better for Becerra.
And then the second thing is that Hilton being so high, watch that gap between Hilton and Bianco. That's the important thing. If there's separation between those two, then it's going to be very hard to keep Hilton out of the top two.
MICHAELSON: So, your perspective right now is that Becerra is overperforming, Steyer is underperforming, at least in the numbers that we're seeing so far.
MITCHELL: Yes. We'll see. Right now, they say 37 percent reporting. It says 47 percent now. So that means that, based on what I think CNN is using, like a nine million votes cast model, we're pretty close to seeing some numbers that are meaningful.
MICHAELSON: All right. We want to do more with you guys throughout the next three hours here on CNN. Up next, though, I'll be speaking with Steve Hilton, who will join us live from Huntington Beach. Plus, new results coming in for the race for L.A. mayor as reality T.V. star Spencer Pratt looks to keep his campaign going until November. We have a second hour of "Election Night in America" right after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
