D Xavier Becerra Establishment-progressive, Latino-lane Strong-state YIMBY with labor guardrails who frames housing as an emergency and promises to track results. ⚠ + more Cost-of-living populist and anti-price-gouging Democrat who is vague on tax mechanics but says the 'mega wealthy' should pay more. ⚠ + more No dedicated 2026 crime platform, but enforcement-credible by record. + more Pro-immigrant Democrat who defends sanctuary law and coverage and runs on a 'fought Trump' biography. ⚠ + more Establishment-progressive who casts clean energy and grid resilience as shared public investment and pursues affordability through rate freezes. ⚠ + more Establishment-progressive who now opposes single-payer while pledging to build toward universal coverage and to fight federal Medi-Cal cuts. ⚠ + more Education is the thinnest part of his platform, with no dedicated section. + more Frames reform as 'different governance' and a 'moral emergency/policy failure' critique of the status quo, but is thin on operational specifics. ⚠ + more R Steve Hilton Trump-aligned populist outsider Deregulation-first Republican who defends single-family neighborhoods and rejects Housing First. + more Republican 'Califordable' plan promising the first $100K tax-free, a flat 7.5% above, halved electric bills and $3 gas. + more Tough-on-crime but with crime secondary to his 'Califordable' affordability brand, positioning to the left of Bianco. + more Republican who supports Trump's enforcement agenda and opposes sanctuary law and coverage. + more Republican favoring rollback and gas-price relief over climate mandates, and expanded in-state drilling. + more Republican who frames single-payer as unaffordable and would end full-scope Medi-Cal for undocumented adults. + more Centers school choice, accountability and parental rights. + more Makes shrinking a 'bloated, bureaucratic' Sacramento the centerpiece of his 'Califordable' pitch, branded 'CalDOGE.' + more D Tom Steyer Self-funded climate-left Big-spend, big-supply, climate-linked YIMBY with a carrot-and-stick view of the state's role. + more Most detailed left-revenue agenda in the field and the only viable candidate openly campaigning on Prop 13 split roll. + more Reform-leaning: rehabilitation for non-violent offenders, incarceration for violent ones. + more The most aggressive Democrat in the field: abolish ICE and prosecute its agents. ⚠ + more Climate-left anchor who frames climate through affordability and anti-monopoly utility reform. ⚠ + more Strongest single-payer backer in the field, endorsed by the California Nurses Association, who pairs CalCare with a specific revenue plan. + more Backs free public education from cradle to community college; pro-funding and CTA-aligned. + more Frames reform as ending corporate capture and corruption rather than shrinking government. ⚠ + more R Chad Bianco Tough-on-crime law enforcement Rejects the 'homeless' framing, favors a treatment-mandated approach, and is deregulatory on construction. + more Eliminationist Republican who would abolish the state income tax and the gas tax. + more Hardline tough-on-crime Republican running to Hilton's right under a 'Safer California' banner. + more Hardline Republican who vows to dismantle SB 54 and back mass deportation. ⚠ + more Republican favoring deregulation and energy independence. + more Republican who opposes single-payer and Medi-Cal for undocumented adults, with a crime- and immigration-led campaign light on healthcare specifics. + more Conservative, parental-rights focused and opposed to 'progressive curricula.' + more Casts reform as 'accountability and transparency' plus election integrity. + more D Katie Porter Populist-progressive accountability Anti-NIMBY YIMBY focused on the speed of construction, with prevention and interim housing on homelessness — and willing to break with labor. + more Backs tax cuts for households under $100K paid for by corporate-tax hikes on the largest businesses, with a 'fight corporate special interests' frame. + more Not crime-forward; leans on her oversight and accountability brand. + more Pro-immigrant Democrat who lists 'Abolish ICE' among her priorities. + more Populist-progressive Big-Oil watchdog focused on pollution accountability and wildfire resilience; opposes an insurance rate freeze. + more Populist-progressive consumer watchdog who now backs single-payer and opposes the Newsom Medi-Cal rollbacks. ⚠ + more Affordability-first approach that frames college and childcare as economic justice. + more Treats reform as an anti-corruption and accountability watchdog mission — her strongest lane — focused more on money in politics than org-chart efficiency. + more D Matt Mahan Moderate-tech accountability YIMBY deregulator pairing a tiny-homes build-out with performance accountability, pitched as data-driven. ⚠ + more Moderate 'no new taxes until oversight' Democrat and explicit Newsom critic on accountability, coded to Silicon Valley. + more Tough-on-crime by Democratic-primary standards, with a 'back to basics,' results-over-ideology pitch. + more Moderate favoring a pathway to legal status plus border security, and 'reform/restart' of ICE rather than abolition. + more Moderate-tech pragmatist who prioritizes affordability over emissions targets. + more Moderate-tech pragmatist who rejects single-payer and is the most aggressive candidate on treatment-mandated behavioral-health care. + more Outcomes-over-ideology framing that treats education as an opportunity foundation. + more A 'results over ideology,' 'back to basics' management Democrat and explicit Newsom critic who casts reform as measurable outcomes, not cuts. + more D Antonio Villaraigosa Center-pragmatist with building-trades roots Builder-trades center-pragmatist; bond-finance heavy, with outcome dashboards drawn from his LA mayoral playbook. ⚠ + more Center-pragmatist who would 'hold the line' on taxes, calls for a moratorium on climate regulations and treats oil and gas as a transition fuel. + more Center-pragmatist with a 'tough-but-not-punitive' frame. + more Pro-immigrant (the son of a Mexican immigrant) who attacks rivals on competence. + more Centrist 'all-of-the-above' Democrat who treats natural gas as a transition fuel and is refinery-friendly. ⚠ + more Centrist who opposes single-payer as unaffordable and offers a five-pillar affordability plan with no new taxes. + more Reform-minded, charter-friendly and union-skeptical on K-12. + more Center-pragmatist whose regulatory-streamlining theme runs through his whole platform. + more D Tony Thurmond Progressive-education / Bay Area Black-voter coalition Affordable-housing public-investment Democrat, skeptical of state preemption and closely union-aligned. ⚠ + more The field's most left-coded candidate on revenue and the only one publicly backing the billionaire tax. + more Left-of-center on criminal justice, but the issue is not foregrounded in 2026. + more On the progressive flank with an explicit abolish-ICE position. + more On the progressive flank generally, but climate is not a focus of his campaign. + more Progressive-flank Democrat backing state-run single-payer and the only candidate proposing a wealth tax to backfill federal cuts. + more The race's education candidate; a charter skeptic and equity-and-funding progressive. + more Progressive who pursues reform through equity and an education-system focus rather than efficiency-cutting. + more