2026 California Governor
The race for governor
An open seat for the first time since 2018. Under California's top-two primary, every candidate of every party shares one June 2 ballot and the two highest finishers advance to the November runoff — so the primary, not a party nomination, decides the finalists. As of
Where the race stands
Emerson College / Inside CA Politics, May 9–May 10 · 12% undecided
A single poll, shown for orientation. Bars are scaled to the leader; party is indicated only by the letter chip. See the full polling trend →
The field
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Democrat · Establishment-progressive
Xavier Becerra
DFormer U.S. HHS Secretary
A former HHS secretary, state attorney general and 12-term congressman running on governing experience, healthcare expertise and a record of litigating against the first Trump administration.
Polling 19–21%Raised $2.9M -
Republican · Trump-aligned populist
Steve Hilton
RFormer Fox News host & UK political strategist
A British-born former Fox News host and Cameron strategy adviser running on "positive populism" — tax cuts, deregulation and government reform — as an affordability indictment of one-party Democratic rule.
Polling 17–22%Raised $6.9M -
Democrat · Climate-left
Tom Steyer
DBillionaire investor & climate activist
A hedge-fund founder turned climate and anti-Trump activist self-funding a campaign to the left of the field on climate, single-payer healthcare, commercial Prop 13 reform and immigration enforcement.
Polling 15–17%Raised $10M -
Republican · Tough-on-crime
Chad Bianco
RRiverside County Sheriff
A two-term Riverside County sheriff running on a "Safer California" platform of tougher policing, full Prop 36 implementation, and repealing the state's sanctuary law.
Polling 10–16%Raised $1.5M -
Democrat · Populist-progressive
Katie Porter
DFormer U.S. Representative (CA-47)
A Warren-style consumer-protection populist running on affordability — housing, free childcare and tuition-free college — who refuses corporate money.
Polling 7–13%Raised $9M -
Democrat · Moderate-tech
Matt Mahan
DMayor of San Jose
The 43-year-old San Jose mayor running a "results over ideology" pitch built on government accountability and an enforcement-plus-shelter homelessness model.
Polling 7–8%Raised $13M -
Democrat · Center-pragmatist
Antonio Villaraigosa
DFormer Mayor of Los Angeles
A two-term former Los Angeles mayor and ex-Assembly speaker making a second run for governor on an affordability agenda, an "all-of-the-above" energy stance, and a one-term pledge.
Polling 1–4%Raised $707K -
Democrat · Progressive-education
Tony Thurmond
DState Superintendent of Public Instruction
California's twice-elected schools chief running on the field's most explicitly left-progressive platform — single-payer, abolishing ICE, a wealth tax, universal childcare, and housing built on surplus school-district land.
Polling 1–3%Raised $1.6M
Issues
Where the field stands on eight policy areas.
Compare
Every candidate against every issue, side by side.
Analysis
Polling, money, endorsements and the top-two math.