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California Midterm Results 2026: What the AP Has Called So Far

By Brian Hofsteder · Updated November 5, 2026

Democrat Xavier Becerra will be California’s next governor, and by Wednesday evening, Nov. 4, The Associated Press had also called four of the Prop 50 House districts drawing the most attention. Those four include two Republican-held seats that switched to Democrats. These California midterm results 2026 are a first round. Several close contests are still uncalled, and nothing is official until counties finish their canvass in December.

Where it stands: On Wednesday night, the races below are listed as called only when an outlet reported the AP’s call. Vote totals are still moving as counties process mail ballots, so this page does not report margins.

Who won the California governor’s race?

Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general and U.S. health secretary, won the governor’s race over Republican Steve Hilton. According to KQED, the AP made its call within about 60 seconds of the 8 p.m. poll closing.

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Becerra succeeds Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited. KQED noted that “He will be the first Latino person elected to serve as California governor.” CalMatters reported that Hilton conceded about an hour after polls closed and told supporters in Orange County, “Change may be delayed, but change is coming.” Becerra kept his victory speech in West Sacramento modest: “Californians don’t expect a miracle from government,” he said. “They just want a government that works.”

The new governor takes office in January. One early deadline is already on his desk: KQED reported that his administration “faces a March deadline to present options for having corporations shoulder more of the cost of Medi-Cal.”

Which California House seats has the AP called?

The AP has called the 1st, 6th, 13th and 22nd districts. For the 40th, 45th and 48th, none of the Wednesday coverage we reviewed reported an AP decision.

1st District. Democratic state Sen. Mike McGuire defeated Republican Rep. James Gallagher. Patch reported that “By 10 p.m., the Associated Press had called District 1 for Democrat Mike McGuire, marking the first house seat to flip for the Democrats in California Tuesday.” Gallagher had won the seat in a June special election under the old lines.

22nd District. Democrat Randy Villegas unseated Republican Rep. David G. Valadao in the southern San Joaquin Valley. KVPR, the Fresno public radio station, reported that “The Associated Press called the race Wednesday morning after Villegas showed a decisive lead in early election results.” The new 22nd spans pieces of five valley counties, from Fresno to Tulare. Villegas told supporters in Bakersfield, “A lot of people wrote us off. We had to beat our own party to get to where we are today.” KVPR said the station had not heard back from Valadao’s side when it published.

6th District. Democrat Richard Pan, a pediatrician and former state senator, defeated Rep. Kevin Kiley, who left the Republican Party and ran with no party preference. The Abridged, a Sacramento news outlet, reported that the AP called the race for Pan at about 11 p.m. Tuesday, a little over two hours after Kiley phoned Pan to concede. “The headwinds in this election year were just too strong to overcome,” Kiley told supporters in Roseville. Kiley currently represents the neighboring 3rd District, so this is a new seat for both men rather than a straight party flip.

13th District. Democratic Rep. Adam Gray held his northern San Joaquin Valley seat against Republican Kevin Lincoln, a former Stockton mayor. Patch updated its results page late Wednesday morning to say the AP had called the district for Gray.

Which competitive California House races are still uncalled?

Three districts on the watch list were still waiting on the AP as of Wednesday, and in two of them the candidates were still claiming momentum.

48th District. Marni von Wilpert, the Democratic San Diego councilmember, told supporters she had won the open seat Rep. Darrell Issa is leaving, beating Republican Jim Desmond, a county supervisor. KPBS reported at 8:19 a.m. Wednesday that “The Associated Press has yet to call the race.” Desmond, for his part, told KPBS on election night that the early numbers settled nothing and he was staying in the fight.

40th District. Here the contest is Republican against Republican: Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim, both sitting members, drawn together by the new map. The AP noted before the election that “Republicans are guaranteed to hold the 40th Congressional District,” so the party label will not change. City News Service reported Wednesday that Calvert claimed a lead and said, “Early results give us a significant lead that I believe will hold.” No AP call had been reported.

45th District. In this Orange and Los Angeles county seat, first-term Democrat Derek Tran is defending against Chuong V. Vo, a Republican and retired police officer. We did not find an AP call for this race in a report we could verify by Wednesday evening, so it is listed as pending below.

District Finalists AP status, Wednesday Party change
1st Mike McGuire (D), James Gallagher (R) Called for McGuire by 10 p.m. Tuesday Flip, R to D
6th Richard Pan (D), Kevin Kiley (no party preference) Called for Pan about 11 p.m. Tuesday Redrawn seat; sitting member Kiley lost
13th Adam Gray (D), Kevin Lincoln (R) Called for Gray Wednesday Democratic hold
22nd Randy Villegas (D), David G. Valadao (R) Called for Villegas Wednesday morning Flip, R to D
40th Ken Calvert (R), Young Kim (R) No AP call reported Stays Republican either way
45th Derek Tran (D), Chuong V. Vo (R) No AP call in the reports we could verify Pending
48th Marni von Wilpert (D), Jim Desmond (R) Not called as of Wednesday morning Pending (open seat)

Finalist names and party labels are from the Secretary of State’s certified candidate list. For background on each district and how Prop 50 redrew them, see our guide to the California House races to watch.

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Which California ballot measures have been decided?

CalMatters, citing the AP, reported four statewide measures as decided by Wednesday: Props. 2 and 37 passed, and Props. 39 and 44 failed. The billionaire tax, Prop. 40, had not been called.

Prop. 40, the billionaire tax. The proposal would charge the state’s roughly 200 billionaires a single 5% levy on their wealth. It was not called in the CalMatters report Wednesday. Two countermeasures, Props. 41 and 42, add a wrinkle: CalMatters explains that “if either countermeasure receives more votes than Prop. 40, it nullifies the billionaire tax.” Dave Regan, president of the union behind Prop. 40, said the group would try again in 2028 if lawmakers do not fund health care: “That’s not a hypothetical. That’s our plan,” he said.

Los Angeles mayor. The AP had not declared a winner between Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman. The Desert Sun reported Wednesday that Raman moved ahead as later ballots were counted and that “The race remained too close to call.”

Why are so many California races still uncalled?

California votes mostly by mail and accepts late-arriving ballots, so the count keeps going for weeks after Election Day.

Mail ballots carrying an Election Day postmark are valid when they arrive up to seven days late, and the Secretary of State says “All valid vote-by-mail ballots are counted in every election in California, regardless of the outcome or closeness of any race.” State law gives counties 13 days to report the bulk of their ballots, and PolitiFact noted that provisional and signature-cure ballots should be counted “within 30 days after the election.”

The AP waits for certainty. Its decision team says “The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap.” California also has no automatic recount; any voter can request one and pay for it. How the count unfolds county by county is covered in our explainer on when California election results come in.

Where can I follow California midterm results 2026 as counting continues?

County election offices post updates on a schedule, and the Secretary of State publishes statewide totals as counties report them.

If you voted by mail, you can confirm your own ballot was counted, or learn whether it needs a signature fix, using our ballot-tracking guide. Our election night explainer covers how the first results were posted Tuesday. Under the Secretary of State’s election calendar, county officials have through Dec. 3, 2026, to certify their results, and the statewide Statement of Vote is set for certification on Dec. 11, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the California governor race in 2026?

Democrat Xavier Becerra. The AP declared him the winner over Republican Steve Hilton moments after California polls shut on Nov. 3, KQED reported, and CalMatters reported that Hilton conceded about an hour later.

Which California House seats flipped in 2026?

As of Wednesday, AP calls showed Democrats flipping the 1st District, where Mike McGuire beat Rep. James Gallagher, and the 22nd, where Randy Villegas beat Rep. David G. Valadao. Other districts were still being counted.

Did California’s voter ID measure pass?

No. CalMatters, citing the AP, reported that Prop. 39, which would have required proof of citizenship at the polls or an ID number on mail ballots, failed.

Did the California billionaire tax pass?

Prop. 40 had not been called as of the CalMatters report Wednesday. Two competing measures, Props. 41 and 42, could cancel it if either gets more votes.

When will California election results be final?

Counties have until Dec. 3, 2026, to certify their results, and the Secretary of State certifies the statewide Statement of Vote on Dec. 11, 2026.

Sources

This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; California News Now is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.

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