Ballots processed slowly as Californians await 36-day count

(The Center Square) – It will be more than a month before Californians see the official results from Tuesday’s primary.

That is especially the case in the races for governor and mayor of Los Angeles.

According to unofficial results on Thursday, Republican Steve Hilton has a slight lead in the gubernatorial race with 27.5% of the vote, compared to Democrat Xavier Becerra’s 25.6%. Democrat Tom Steyer is in third with 19.8%. Hilton is advancing to the Nov. 3 general election, but the question remains whether Steyer will catch up with Becerra.

In the race for mayor of Los Angeles, Democratic incumbent Karen Bass hangs on to a lead with 34.97% of the vote compared to Republican Spencer Pratt’s 29.91%. Democratic Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman is in third with 22.81%. Bass is advancing to the general election, and Pratt appears to be the one who will face her on Nov. 3, but voters are waiting to see if Raman catches up.

Mail-in ballots are still being counted, and the count will go on...