Hilton calls for voter ID during Norwalk press conference
California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton speaks during a press conference outside of the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters on June 09, 2026 in Norwalk.
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
NORWALK – Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton visited the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office in Norwalk on Tuesday, where he renewed calls for changes to California’s election and vote-counting process while awaiting confirmation that he had secured a spot in the November runoff.
Speaking outside the county elections headquarters, Hilton expressed frustration with the pace of ballot counting following last week’s primary election. At the time of the news conference, he had not yet declared victory in his effort to secure the second spot in the race for governor.
“In this campaign, as I pointed out last night, we always had a policy that we would wait for the official call of the race from the AP (Associated Press),” Hilton said. “That is what we are waiting for. We do not know when that will happen ... so we’re not popping the champagne yet.”
During the Norwalk appearance, Hilton again called for changes in how California conducts its elections, expressing dismay at the length of the ballot-counting process.
While insisting he has not seen any obvious evidence of massive voter fraud in the election, Hilton called for implementation of voter ID requirements in California to ensure fair elections. He urged Democratic rival Xavier Becerra to join him in supporting voter ID measures that would require voters to show legal identification before casting a ballot.
Proponents of voter ID laws argue they help prevent fraud and ensure every ballot cast is legitimate. Opponents contend such requirements could disenfranchise voters who do not have valid government-issued identification, including many lower-income residents, minorities, people with disabilities and older adults.
Later Tuesday afternoon, the Associated Press declared Hilton the second-place finisher in the primary after updated results were released by the California Secretary of State’s Office.
The latest count showed Becerra leading the field with 2,327,237 votes, or 27.9%, while Hilton had 2,076,863 votes, or 24.9%.
Billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer finished third with 1,883,592 votes, or 22.6%.
“What an incredible honor to be chosen by Californians to lead the movement for change in the greatest state in the greatest nation on Earth,” Hilton said in a statement after the updated results were released. “There’s nowhere better than California. But a majority of Californians — 56% in a recent poll — believe our state is on the wrong track and needs change. That is the majority we will now have the honor of leading to victory in November, and I can’t wait to get started on the most high-energy campaign this state has ever seen.”
Becerra spent Tuesday campaigning at Mercado La Paloma in downtown Los Angeles, where he met with merchants, chatted with diners and posed for photos.
“We know we’re in (the runoff), so we’re going to get out there and continue to talk to people the way we did during the primary,” Becerra told reporters. “And we hope that folks stay engaged and that we have an even bigger turnout for the November general election.”
Becerra acknowledged concerns about voter turnout in the primary, but said he was encouraged by participation levels.
“We still want to get more people coming out, but it’s good to see that the reason it is taking a while for the count to be completed is because a lot of folks ended up voting, and so we’re happy about that,” he said.
Steyer conceded defeat Tuesday evening.
“I have always been an optimist, and today, I remain an optimist,” he said in part. “Nothing this campaign fought for is far off. These dreams we dreamt together are not too big. Californians deserve a life they can afford, and they deserve for it to be in California. My commitment to this fight didn’t start last November, and it doesn’t end today. Because the work of winning a better, fairer California is not the work of a campaign. It is the work of my life.”