SIERRA COUNTY, Calif. — November 4, 2026, 3:38 p.m. Pacific results. Sierra County’s newest available official but unofficial cumulative count shows Republican Steve Hilton leading Democrat Xavier Becerra within Sierra County in the California governor race, while James Gallagher leads Mike McGuire in the Sierra County portion of U.S. House District 1. These are county-level voting results only; a lead in Sierra County is not a statewide gubernatorial or congressional result.
Governor: 917 votes for Hilton and 549 for Becerra
The Sierra County Clerk-Recorder’s election report generated November 4 at 3:38 p.m. lists 917 votes for Hilton (62.55%) and 549 for Becerra (37.45%), among 1,466 counted votes for governor. That is a difference of 368 votes in this small rural county. The California governor’s office is decided by the statewide vote, not by who leads in Sierra County alone.
U.S. House District 1: Gallagher ahead in Sierra County
The same county report lists James Gallagher at 895 votes (61.85%) and Mike McGuire at 552 (38.15%) for the U.S. House District 1 contest. That is a difference of 343 votes in the Sierra County portion. District 1 includes voters outside Sierra County; no congressional winner can be determined from this county’s numbers alone.
What turnout looks like
The report lists 1,475 processed ballots out of 2,164 registered voters (68.16%) and all 19 of 19 precincts reporting at the time of the release. The county conducts an all-mail election. A 100% precinct-reporting status does not guarantee that all eligible mail, conditional-registration and provisional ballots have been included in the final canvass.
Separate local supervisor contest
The same updated document reports 154 votes for Bryan Davey and 127 for Sonya Meline in the separate Sierra County Board of Supervisors District 2 election. Because this contest involves only the supervisorial district rather than all county voters, California58 covers it in a separate story on the 27-vote margin.
Readers in Downieville, Loyalton, Sierra City and other Sierra County communities can check the county election-results page for later official releases. A newer tally may replace the November 4 snapshot above.
Source: Sierra County, November 3 General Election cumulative unofficial results generated November 4, 2026, at 3:38 p.m.; governor race on page 1, congressional District 1 on page 3, supervisor District 2 on page 7. The results are not certified.
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