Latinos make up about 41 percent of the population in California. But none of them were alive the last time California had a Latino governor.
Xavier Becerra, a former state attorney general and a former cabinet member in the Biden administration, would be the first Latino governor since 1875 should he advance to the runoff election and win in November.
That prospect was on the mind of many Latino voters who cast their ballots on Tuesday.
Some said they favored Mr. Becerra because of his deep political résumé, but his background — he is the son of working-class Mexican immigrants — felt almost as significant, especially at a moment when President Trump’s mass deportation campaign has made many Latino Californians more fearful.
“I’m proud to be a Latina, and I would love for a Latino to win because Latinos will understand our situation,” Maria Martinez, 65, said on Tuesday outside a polling site in Jurupa Valley in Riverside County.
Ms. Martinez said she voted for Mr. Becerra, hoping that he would be an effective bulwark against Mr. Trump’s immigration policies.
“Even though I’m a U.S. citizen, it still affects me,” she said. “It still affects my family.”
But Ms. Martinez, a recent retiree, said that she also voted for Mr. Becerra because of his economic ideas. She had found herself having to work a part-time job to make ends meet and she was hopeful Mr. Becerra could help make living in California more affordable.
“It’s getting harder and harder to live here and I don’t want to move out of state,” she said. “I love this state. I was raised here.”
Other Hispanic voters, both old and young, said that Mr. Becerra’s Mexican American heritage wasn’t enough to win their vote.
Salvador Garcia, 77, of San Bernardino County, said he was troubled by Mr. Becerra’s handling of immigrant children during his time as health and human services secretary under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Mr. Garcia also said he had concerns about an embezzlement scandal involving Mr. Becerra’s former staff members. Mr. Garcia said he voted for Tom Steyer, a billionaire financier.
Outside a polling site at an elementary school in Fontana, Alexys Garcia, 18, felt much the same. Mr. Garcia, no relation to Salvador Garcia, also voted for Mr. Steyer. He said he was turned off by Mr. Becerra’s acceptance of donations from Chevron and other interest groups.
“It would have been nice if it could’ve been him, but I don’t know — he didn’t impress me,” the younger Mr. Garcia said.
Other voters gave more weight to the familiarity of Mr. Becerra’s story.
Anastasio Duron, 65, rolled his tattered work truck into the parking lot of a small Baptist Church in San Bernardino County on Tuesday morning and darted inside to drop off his ballot. Mr. Duron, a gardener, was on his way to work and in a hurry.
He voted for Mr. Becerra, he said. The candidate’s humble upbringing and background resonated with him. Mr. Duron said he hoped that one day, Mr. Becerra could become president.
“I would really like that,” he said in Spanish, before driving off in his truck.
And for others, Mr. Becerra’s identity was second to his other qualifications.
“It’s really hard to come across a candidate now that has the portfolio and that you’ve seen the work that he’s done,” said Corina Dorado, 33, after voting for Mr. Becerra in Jurupa Valley, a majority Hispanic community, where signs at the polling place were in both English and Spanish.
Ms. Dorado said her focus was affordability. She and her husband, who has a union construction job and is the family’s breadwinner, are aspiring homeowners but have found themselves priced out of the area.
Mr. Becerra’s heritage was not the sole reason she voted for him, she said, but it was a welcome point of commonality in a place like California.
“I’m not saying he’s a better person because of that, but I’m just saying maybe he knows the struggle,” Ms. Dorado said. “Because immigrants did build this country and he came from immigrant parents. So hopefully he’s able to put that into consideration and do something for his people.”
Orlando Mayorquín is a Times reporter covering California. He is based in Los Angeles.
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