Veteran Democratic politician Xavier Becerra won one of the top two spots in California’s primary for governor, according to the Associated Press, a finish that puts him in a prime position to win the November general election and make history as California’s first elected Latino governor.

“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Xavier Becerra said in a statement Friday. “We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down. November, here we come.”

Former Fox News host Steve Hilton, a Republican, remains in a close second and appears on the cusp of securing the right to face off with Becerra in the November general election.

“Steve is already focused on November, traveling the state, meeting with voters, and continuing to build a coalition of Californians who want change after 16 years of one-party rule,” said Hector Barajas, a Hilton spokesman.

Democrat Tom Steyer, a hedge fund founder turned climate change activist, appears likely to finish in third place — a disappointing end to a campaign that saturated California’s television screens, social media scrolls and mailboxes thanks to the billionaire spending $216 million of his own wealth.

Becerra’s victory was declared by the Associated Press on Friday evening, three days after the June 2 election — an indication of the competitive race to replace termed-out Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s lengthy process of counting ballots. After polls closed on Tuesday, Hilton was in the lead. He and Becerra were within a percentage point of each other by Friday, though that could change as the vote tally continues.

While his fate is not sealed, Steyer faces long odds to finish in the top two.

“Nothing changes for us. We’re waiting to see if there are enough votes left to be counted to put Tom into the runoff,” said Steyer spokesman Anthony York. “We knew since Tuesday that this was a matter of overtaking Hilton. Today’s call does nothing to change that.”

Under California’s primary system, only the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary advance to the November general election, regardless of their party affiliation.

Becerra would enter the general election campaign with a significant edge over Hilton since Democratic voters in California outnumber Republicans by an almost 2-to-1 margin, a telltale reason why no GOP candidate has won a statewide race since 2006.

President Trump’s endorsement of Hilton helped consolidate support from Republican voters, which was pivotal to his success in the primary, but would likely hurt him in a face-off against Becerra. Nearly two-thirds of voters in the state want a governor who will fight Trump’s policies, according to the survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.

Becerra could make history by becoming the first Latino to be elected governor — and the first to lead the state in more than 150 years. The last time a Latino held the office was in 1875, when then-Lt. Gov. Romualdo Pacheco was elevated to fill a vacancy and served for 10 months.

“California has made history. Xavier Becerra’s advancement to the general election is a defining moment both for the state, and for the millions of Latino families who have been instrumental in shaping the state’s future,” said Voto Latino Executive Director Beatriz Lopez. “As home to the nation’s largest Latino population, California will once again demonstrate the decisive power of Latino voters.”

Though Latinos make up about 40% of the state’s population and are California’s largest ethnic group, they historically have lower turnout in elections and are underrepresented in government. While Becerra often cites his upbringing as a child of working-class Mexican immigrants, he must demonstrate that he can deliver for these communities, said Christian Arana, vice president of civic power and policy at the California-based Latino Community Foundation.

“There’s a lot of excitement about the representation side,” Arana said. “You can have Latino representation, but whether or not that will actually lead to tangible outcomes for Latino communities, that’s what people want to know.”

Once in the single-digits in public polls with a handful of other Democratic candidates, Becerra rose quickly and unexpectedly following the political demise of former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin).

Becerra’s ascent began days after Swalwell dropped out of the race in April in the midst of allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he denies. Becerra quickly consolidated support from Democratic leaders and allies, including Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and influential groups such as Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the California Medical Assn.

But both supporters and critics of Becerra struggle to explain exactly how or why he became the main beneficiary of Swalwell’s downfall.

Becerra’s campaign credits the timing of a major television and digital advertising push. The political ads began running just before the allegations against Swalwell came out and depicted Becerra as a calm, experienced leader with a record pushing back against Trump and support from Young Democrat groups.

Steyer’s campaign hired an intelligence firm to look into the online surge favoring Becerra and found thousands of bot accounts had amplified Becerra on various social media platforms. Becerra’s campaign denied any involvement and dismissed the influence of the fake accounts.

Political experts describe it as the stars aligning for Becerra. In the aftermath of the Swalwell scandal, voters were apparently drawn to Becerra’s long resume and stoic, thoughtful demeanor.

“He just never overreacted. Even when attacked [during debates], he was calm,” said Fernando Guerra, professor of Chicano Studies at Loyola Marymount University. That “gave the sense of being a moderate, while he’s really a liberal, so he was able to appeal not only to Latinos, but to liberals and to moderates.”

After Swalwell’s campaign crumbled, members of the political brain trust — many with ties to Newsom — that had been advising the former congressman began working for Becerra, including veteran consultants Lindsey Cobia and Courtni Pugh and digital strategist Alf LaMont.

“There was nothing going for him for a long, long time,” said Jason McDaniel, associate professor of political science at San Francisco State University. “I do think it was just people looking for someone who had a lot of experience who could win.”

Becerra’s first election victory was to win a seat in the state Assembly in 1990. He served one term before successfully running for a Los Angeles congressional seat, which he held for 24 years.

Then-Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Becerra as state attorney general in 2017, a post he used to challenge Trump administration policies in the courts more than a 100 times — with great success. Becerra, who helped craft the Affordable Care Act in Congress, defended it as attorney general, and President Biden nominated him to serve as his secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The 68-year-old faced criticism about his record leading the massive federal agency, particularly over a New York Times investigation that found thousands of unaccompanied migrant children ended up working in dangerous jobs after they were released to sponsors.

Some former Biden administration officials, many of them anonymous, have also criticized Becerra’s leadership of the agency.

Still, Becerra’s supporters said the candidate’s experience, particularly when it comes to fighting the Trump administration, qualifies him for California’s top job.

“He’s had some very important positions in government,” labor leader Dolores Huerta said at Becerra’s election night party in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. “He is qualified. He doesn’t have to go into a learning mode.”

“He’s a legal scholar,” added David Dixon, a political science professor at Cal State Dominguez Hills and brother of a longtime Becerra aide. “When our Constitution is threatened, we need people like him to be in positions of power to reclaim things we are losing now.”

Times staff writers Dakota Smith and Andrew Khouri contributed to this report.

California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton launched a new campaign ad Saturday targeting former Biden administration official Xavier Becerra, signaling the general election fight may already be underway even as primary ballots continue to be counted.

The 55-second ad mocks Becerra’s lengthy political career and record in government, portraying the Democrat as a continuation of California’s political status quo.

The ad features silent clips of Becerra appearing on an old-fashioned TV screen while captions flash across the screen, including: “I’ve been a career politician for 36 years. Vote for me.”

Other captions reference issues likely to become central themes in the governor’s race, including homelessness, California’s high-speed rail project and Becerra’s tenure as secretary of Health and Human Services in former President Joe Biden’s administration.

HILTON, BECERRA, IN THE LEAD WITH VOTES STILL BEING COUNTED IN BATTLE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR

The ad also attempts to tie Becerra to Gov. Gavin Newsom, ending with the message: “I’ll change nothing about how California is governed,” followed by the tagline, “Don’t watch another rerun.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Becerra and the Hilton campaigns for comment.

The ad comes less than 24 hours after The Associated Press projected Becerra would advance to California’s November gubernatorial election to succeed the term-limited Newsom.

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As vote counting continued Saturday, Becerra led the field with 26.8% of the vote, according to AP totals. Hilton received 26.4%, while Democrat Tom Steyer had 21.1%.

Roughly 68% of ballots had been counted as of Saturday afternoon.

In a statement after the AP race call, Becerra celebrated the result and framed his campaign as a fight for California voters.

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“The people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken — loudly and proudly,” Becerra said. “We will not be bought. We will not be bullied. And we are never backing down. November, here we come.”

Becerra’s campaign also said the result makes him the first Latino candidate to advance from a California gubernatorial primary to a general election, calling it a historic milestone for the state.

If elected in November, Becerra would become California’s first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco, who briefly served as governor in 1875.

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Becerra, a former California attorney general, served as Health and Human Services secretary during the Biden administration before launching his gubernatorial campaign.

Hilton, a former Fox News host and political commentator, has campaigned as a political outsider and agent of change, arguing California is headed in the wrong direction under Democratic leadership.

Results from Tuesday’s primary have not yet been certified.

A federal judge sided with California and other Democratic states on Friday in a preliminary injunction that blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to condition food benefits on compliance with the president’s policies on gender and immigration.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in March against the Trump administration in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, arguing that the “unlawful” and “unconstitutional” funding requirements are vague and designed to force policies on states.

Billions in federal funding are ultimately at stake, including money for school lunch programs that provide meals to 30 million children nationwide and food stamps that support about 40 million Americans living in low-income households.

“As the Trump Administration tries to use essential programs and billions in funding as leverage to advance their hateful, discriminatory agenda, California continues to fight to uphold the law and ensure that our communities can continue to access the funding they need to thrive,” said California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta in a statement.

The policy shift from the United States Department of Agriculture marks another effort by the president to force left-leaning states to submit to his positions on hot-button political and cultural issues to receive government funding. California’s current budget relies on $174.5 billion in federal dollars, or roughly one-third of the overall state budget funds.

Last year, the Trump administration canceled a sexual education grant to California after the state declined to remove gender identity from sexual education curriculum. The administration is also restricting federal funds in an attempt to force states to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.

The funding conditions from the USDA relate to gender ideology, women and girls’ sports and immigration, according to the lawsuit.

States argue that the conditions do not explain what activities are prohibited for entities that receive grants. The USDA did not cite any law allowing the organization to impose anti-discrimination policies that go beyond federal law, the suit states.

The states that joined the lawsuit contend that they are left with the “unlawful” choice of adhering to the conditions or risk losing up to $74 billion in collective federal assistance from the USDA.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun approved a preliminary injunction Friday and is expected to issue a memorandum later explaining the decision, according to the Associated Press.