Democrat and Republican go head-to-head in California governor race

Key points

• California could have its first Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger ended his two terms in 2011. ⁠Republican television commentator Steve Hilton and Democratic former cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra have taken an early lead in the primary race for California governor.
• On Tuesday, they emerged as favourites to advance to the November 3 election, which could set ⁠up a race between a Democrat and a Republican, highly unusual for the Democratic Party stronghold that is California.
• California’s next governor, who will succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom after he serves the maximum two terms, will ⁠take charge of a $4 trillion economy – among the largest in the world – while confronting deep challenges, including water accessibility, affordability and homelessness.
• Hilton was ahead with 26.9 percent of the vote and Becerra had 25.7 percent with 76.1 percent of election precincts partially reported, according to official results.
• Each candidate had more than 1.1 million...