California’s chaotic primary tests Republican odds in a blue state

Millions of ballots remain to be counted in California’s jungle-primary races for governor and Los Angeles mayor. Democrats Xavier Becerra and Karen Bass are likely to advance to November, but Republican Steve Hilton and other challengers could shape the outcome. Voters’ broad frustration over homelessness, inflation, and governance, plus the state’s top-two system and structural hurdles, make this race unusually unsettled and suggest Republicans still have a path in a state that is often believed to be safely Democratic.