California governor race

Extracted Attributes

• Incumbent

  Gavin Newsom

• Candidate Count

  Over 24 declared candidates as of January 2026

• Election System

  Nonpartisan top-two primary

• General Election Date

  2026-11-03

• Primary Election Date

  2026-06-02

• Last Republican Statewide Victory

  2006

Timeline

• Stephen Cloobeck endorses Eric Swalwell for governor. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024-11-14

• Emerson College poll shows Katie Porter and Steve Hilton leading the primary field. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-08-08

• Toni Atkins drops out of the California gubernatorial race. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-09-29

• Stephen Cloobeck officially exits the race and endorses Eric Swalwell. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-11-25

• San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan enters the race for governor. (Source: Mercury News)

  2025-12-04

• Republican candidate Steve Hilton tours the Guadalupe Emergency Interim Housing Site in San Jose, California. (Source: Mercury News)

  2026-01-20

• Scheduled date for the nonpartisan top-two primary election. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2026-06-02

• Scheduled date for the general gubernatorial election. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2026-11-03

2026 California gubernatorial election

The 2026 California gubernatorial election will take place in the US state on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of California. The nonpartisan top-two primary election will take place on June 2, 2026. Incumbent Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is term-limited and ineligible for election to a third term. As of January 2026, over two dozen candidates have declared campaigns, and the field is expected to grow. Republicans have not won a statewide race in California since 2006 and have not held statewide office since 2011. While California is one of the most Democratic states in the nation, commentators have noted that its unique nonpartisan primary system has the potential to advance two Republicans to the general election due to the highly fragmented Democratic field.

Web Search Results

• California governor's race is still wide open

  ## KATIE PORTER In October, former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat, was caught on camera trying to walk out of a TV interview with a reporter who pressed her on whether she needed Republican support in the race. A second video followed, showing Porter berating a staff member during a Zoom call. At the time considered the front-runner, she rode out the news cycle and later said she “could have done better” about the behavior in the videos, but they appeared to have dropped her approval ratings. She is essentially tied with the top Republican candidate. [...] The game of musical chairs in the race to be California’s next governor gained another player this week. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan jumped in Thursday, joining a field that remains crowded just months before the primary. The last development was in December, when Democratic businessman Stephen Cloobeck — who was polling at below half a percent — dropped out of the race and endorsed Rep. Eric Swalwell. Since then, attorney general Rob Bonta and Los Angeles real estate developer Rick Caruso have declined to run. [...] Last month, federal prosecutors indicted a Sacramento powerbroker in an alleged corruption scandal that rocked the state’s Democratic establishment. At its center? A dormant campaign account held by Becerra, from which prosecutors allege Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff Dana Williamson conspired with other political consultants to steal $225,000. Williamson is charged with helping to divert the funds to the wife of Becerra’s longtime aide, Sean McCluskie, who has pleaded guilty in the alleged scheme. Becerra was California’s first Latino attorney general before serving as a cabinet secretary for former President Joe Biden. He is running primarily on a platform of lowering health care costs.

• California governor's race: Who are the major contenders now?

  A former adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron and a onetime Fox News contributor, Hilton is among the two leading Republicans in the race. His campaign has sharply criticized California’s Democratic leadership, with a focus on affordability, homelessness and crime. #### Matt Mahan San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan takes part in a press conference on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. Officials announced the arrest of a 17 year old juvenile in a triple shooting that occurred on Black Friday at Westfield Valley Fair shopping center. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group) [...] The former Democratic congresswoman from Irvine, known nationally for grilling corporate executives over consumer issues with her whiteboard, lost a 2024 U.S. Senate bid to Adam Schiff. Porter has remained near the top in early polling in the governor’s race and is emphasizing affordability and corporate accountability. #### Steve Hilton Steve Hilton, Conservative Republican candidate for California Governor 2026, tours the Guadalupe Emergency Interim Housing Site in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Steve Hilton, Conservative Republican candidate for California Governor 2026, tours the Guadalupe Emergency Interim Housing Site in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) [...] With the June 2 primary approaching, voters face a long list of candidates competing under California’s top-two system, in which the two highest vote-getters — regardless of party — advance to the November general election. RELATED: ‘California can do better’: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan enters crowded race for governor Here’s a look at the major candidates still in the race: #### Katie Porter Katie Porter, former United States Representative, tours Cherry Avenue Interim Housing Community in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Katie Porter, former United States Representative, tours Cherry Avenue Interim Housing Community in San Jose, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

• 2026 California gubernatorial election - Wikipedia

  131. ^ Jump up to: a b "Governor Race 2026: Porter Maintains Support while Padilla May Struggle to Gain Traction". Emerson College Polling. September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025. 132. ^ Mehta, Seema (August 26, 2025). "California voters undecided in 2026 governor's race, but prefer Newsom over Harris for president in 2028". Los Angeles Times. 133. ^ "2026 Gubernatorial Election Questions". Politico. August 21, 2025. 134. ^ "California 2026 Poll: Porter, Hilton Lead in Race for Governor; Plurality Undecided". Emerson College Polling. August 8, 2025. 135. ^ Paul, Mitchell (February 12, 2025). "CA 120: Dems in a funk, but Harris and Newsom could still shine". Capitol Weekly. [...] Ethan Agarwal (D) for Governor Ché Ahn (R) for Governor Xavier Becerra (D) for Governor Chad Bianco (R) for Governor Sophia Brink (R) for Governor Carolina Buhler (D) for Governor Ian Calderon (D) for Governor Derek Grasty for Governor Sharifah Hardie (R) for Governor Steve Hilton (R) for Governor Zoltan Istvan (D) for Governor Brandon Jones (R) for Governor Kyle Langford (R) for Governor Daniel Mercuri (R) for Governor Ethan Penner (I) for Governor Thunder Parley (D) for Governor Katie Porter (D) for Governor Raji Rab (D) for Governor Ramsey Robinson (PSL) for Governor David Serpa (R) for Governor Tom Steyer (D) for Governor Eric Swalwell (D) for Governor Nicholas Thompson (L) for Governor Tony Thurmond (D) for Governor Ryan Tillman (I) for Governor [...] 17. ^ Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (December 5, 2025). "Matt Mahan and five candidates for governor walk into a room". POLITICO. Retrieved December 8, 2025. 18. ^ Mason, Melanie; Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (November 24, 2025). "The shapeshifting governor's race". Politico. Retrieved November 24, 2025. 19. ^ Mason, Melanie (September 29, 2025). "Toni Atkins drops out of the California governor's race". Politico. Retrieved September 29, 2025. 20. ^ Jump up to: a b "Watch the moment Cloobeck endorses Swalwell for governor". November 14, 2024. 21. ^ Harter, Carla (November 25, 2025). "Stephen Cloobeck exits California's gubernatorial race and endorses Eric Swalwell". LA Times. Retrieved November 25, 2025.

• California Governor Election 2026: Latest Polls - The New York Times

  # California Governor Election 2026: Latest Polls Updated ## Primary polls The open all-party primary will be held on June 2. | | | Loading... | Alex LemonidesPolling data reporter The race for governor has become a wide-open contest, with term limits preventing Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, from running for re-election. At least 10 candidates will be on the ballot in the nonpartisan primary. Republicans typically struggle to win statewide races in deep-blue California, but a large group of Democrats have split the state’s liberal voters, leaving two Republicans near the top of early primary polls. ## Related Content SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

• Governor of California - Ballotpedia

  | | California | U.S. | | Total population: | 38,993,940 | 316,515,021 | | Land area (sq mi): | 155,779 | 3,531,905 | | Race and ethnicity\\ | | White: | 61.8% | 73.6% | | Black/African American: | 5.9% | 12.6% | | Asian: | 13.7% | 5.1% | | Native American: | 0.7% | 0.8% | | Pacific Islander: | 0.4% | 0.2% | | Two or more: | 4.5% | 3% | | Hispanic/Latino: | 38.4% | 17.1% | | Education | | High school graduation rate: | 81.8% | 86.7% | | College graduation rate: | 31.4% | 29.8% | | Income | | Median household income: | $61,818 | $53,889 | | Persons below poverty level: | 18.2% | 11.3% | [...] ## Current officeholder The current Governor of California is Gavin Newsom (D). Newsom assumed office in 2019. ## Authority The Constitution of California establishes the office of governor in Article V, the Executive. California Constitution, Article 5, Section 1 | | | | | The supreme executive power of this State is vested in the Governor. | ## Qualifications | State Executives | [...] The Governor of California is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in California. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two terms. The office of governor was first established in 1849, replacing the succession of military governors that had overseen the territory since its annexation the previous year. California has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature. California has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. : : See also: California State Legislature, California State Assembly, California State Senate