Biden cabinet secretary advances in California governor race

Former Biden health secretary Xavier Becerra is advancing in the race for California governor, as votes are tallied to confirm who will run against him in November.

US media outlets report Becerra, who also previously served as California's attorney general, would be one of two candidates moving forward after the Tuesday primary election.

Two others are still in contention for the second slot: British-American former TV host Steve Hilton, a Republican, and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, another Democrat.

Ballots are still being counted in the nation's most populous state, home to about 23 million registered voters, and results could take weeks due to millions of mail-in ballots.

More than 60 candidates, mostly Democrats, were on the ballot to replace current Governor Gavin Newsom, who has reached his term limit.

Whoever comes in second will face off with Becerra to become California's chief executive, a role responsible for overseeing a multibillion-dollar budget, thousands of state employees and hundreds of state agencies.

A California native, Becerra served as California's attorney general and as the nation's health secretary under President Joe Biden.

If elected, he would be California's first Latino governor since 1875, in a state where Latinos make up about 41% of the population.

He has framed his campaign around his lifetime of work in politics and his credibility working both in Congress in Washington DC and in California in state office.

Becerra has vowed to fight Trump's policies and promised to freeze insurance and utility rates for Californians.

His standing in the race was boosted after Democratic Rep Eric Swalwell dropped out in April amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, which he has repeatedly denied.

For months, Swalwell - who also resigned from Congress - seemed to be the clear frontrunner in the race. His exit opened the field and caused divisions among Democrats as no race leader emerged in the deep-blue state, which has been run by Democrats since 2011.

The contest has become the most expensive California gubernatorial race on record, with immense ad spending by Steyer and Silicon Valley support for another Democratic candidate, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

It takes time to confirm election results in California because of a meticulous process that is compounded by the broad use of mail-in ballots, which are sent to every registered voter in California - 23 million people.

An estimated 80% of California votes are cast by mail and those ballots need to be sorted, validated and counted. Each county has up to 30 days after an election to count ballots, and results will not be certified until 10 July - meaning Becerra's opponent in the November general election could take time to confirm.

But the delayed results have garnered attention online, with US President Donald Trump claiming that Democrats are "trying to steal" elections in the state.

Mail-in voting has long irked the president, who repeatedly claimed without proof that the 2020 US election against Biden had been "stolen" from him. In April, he signed an executive order to limit the practice by creating lists of US citizens who are eligible to vote in each state. Experts and critics have said he lacks the authority to do this.

Currently, Hilton - a former top adviser to ex-UK Prime Minister David Cameron before going on to host his own show on Fox News - is in second place with more than 1.6m votes.

Trailing behind him is Steyer - a progressive billionaire climate activist who has poured millions from his own fortune into the race - with 1.3m votes. But the race has remained too close to call.