Traci Mumford
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Who will be in charge of the largest state in the country?
Under California's election system, the top two primary finishers, regardless of party, will face off in the general election in November.
In the heavily blue state, that means it could be two Democrats facing off or a Democrat and a Republican.
Today's voting caps off what has been a rocky and unpredictable campaign.
There were rumors at the start that huge names like former Vice President Kamala Harris might jump in.
Then one of the most prominent candidates, former Congressman Eric Swalwell, dropped out after a flurry of sexual misconduct allegations.
Now things have narrowed down to just three leaders in the polls.
There's Democrat Tom Steyer, the billionaire former hedge fund manager running on an affordability platform.
He's promised to raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy, including himself, and has spent more than $200 million of his own money to fund his campaign.
Next, also a Democrat, there's Javier Becerra.
The former health secretary under President Biden has presented himself as the candidate with experience.
He's also served in Congress, the state legislature, and as California's attorney general.
And then there's Republican Steve Hilton, who worked in British politics before coming to the U.S.
and becoming a Fox News personality.
Hilton, who has the backing of President Trump, is a long shot for the general election, but he has managed to stay close to the Democratic frontrunners in the primary polls.
As for the results, California has millions of mail-in ballots and tends to count slowly.
So it could take a few days for the final outcome to be officially announced.
And finally, back to dry weather and farming for a moment, but with some rays of hope.
A few years ago, a fire was tearing through a forest in Spain and heading straight for an 800-year-old vineyard.
But when the flames got close to it, a weird thing happened.