2026 California gubernatorial election
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The 2026 California gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor of California. The statewide top-two primary election will take place on June 2, 2026. Incumbent Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom will be term-limited and ineligible to seek reelection. Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former California Senate president pro tempore Toni Atkins, former Controller Betty Yee, and former Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa have declared their candidacies. The field of candidates is expected to expand in the coming years and be extremely competitive.
Candidates
[edit]Democratic Party
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Toni Atkins, former President pro tempore of the California State Senate (2018–2024) from the 39th district (2016–present) and former Speaker of the California State Assembly (2012–2016) from the 78th district (2010–2016)[1]
- Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor of California (2019–present) and former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary (2010–2013)[2]
- Jesse Perez, former Treasurer of the Future Farmers of America (2022–2023)[3]
- Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction (2019–present)[4]
- Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles (2005–2013) and candidate for governor in 2018[5]
- Betty Yee, California Democratic Party vice chair (2021–present) and former California State Controller (2015–2023)[6]
- Michael Younger, vice president of Calbright College (2022–present) and former California Deputy Director of the Workforce[7]
Publicly expressed interest
[edit]- Xavier Becerra, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (2021–present), former Attorney General of California (2017–2021), and former U.S. Representative (1993–2017)[8]
- Rick Caruso, real estate developer and runner-up for mayor of Los Angeles in 2022[9]
Potential
[edit]- Rob Bonta, Attorney General of California (2021–present)[10]
- Laphonza Butler, U.S. Senator (2023–present)[11]
- Katie Porter, U.S. Representative from California's 47th congressional district (2018–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024[10]
Withdrew
[edit]- Fiona Ma, California State Treasurer (2019–present) (running for lieutenant governor)[6]
Republican Party
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Sharifah Hardie, business consultant[12]
- Leo Zacky, vice president of Zacky Farms and candidate for governor in 2021 and 2022[13]
Publicly expressed interest
[edit]- Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner (2019–present)[14]
- Steve Hilton, political commentator and former adviser to UK prime minister David Cameron (2010–2012)[15][16]
Potential
[edit]- Lanhee Chen, policy advisor and runner-up for state controller in 2022[10]
- Brian Dahle, state senator and runner-up for governor in 2022[10]
Declined
[edit]- Kevin McCarthy, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (2023) from California's 20th congressional district (2007–2023)[17]
Primary election
[edit]Endorsements
[edit]Toni Atkins (D)
- State officials
- Shirley Weber, California Secretary of State (2021–present)[1]
- State senators
- Steve Padilla, state senator from the 18th district (2022–present)[18]
- Catherine Blakespear, state senator from the 38th district (2022–present)[18]
- Christine Kehoe, former state senator from the 39th district (2004–2012)[1]
- State assemblymembers
- Brian Maienschein, state assemblymember from the 76th district (2012–present)[18]
- Tasha Boerner, state assemblymember from the 77th district (2018–present)[18]
- Chris Ward, state assemblymember from the 78th district (2020–present)[18]
- Akilah Weber, state assemblymember from the 79th district (2021–present)[18]
- David Alvarez, state assemblymember from the 80th district (2020–present)[18]
- Labor unions
- Organizations
Eleni Kounalakis (D)
- Federal officials
- Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State (2009–2013), former U.S. Senator from New York (2001–2009), and Democratic nominee for president in 2016[21]
- U.S. Senators
- Barbara Boxer, former U.S. Senator from California (1993–2017)[22]
- U.S. Representatives
- Mike Thompson, U.S. Representative from California's 4th congressional district (1999–present)[21]
- State senators
- Bill Dodd, state senator from the 3rd district (2016–present)[21]
- State assemblymembers
- Kevin McCarty, state assemblymember from the 7th district (2014–present)[21]
- Diane Papan, state assemblymember from the 21st district (2022–present)[21]
- Luz Rivas, state assemblymember from the 39th district (2018–present)[21]
- Local officials
- Art Agnos, former Mayor of San Francisco (1988–1992)[23]
- Notable individuals
- Markos Kounalakis, journalist and Second Gentleman of California (2019–present) (her husband)[24]
- Angelo Tsakopoulos, real estate developer (her father)[22]
Polling
[edit]Hypothetical polling
- with Brian Dahle and Steve Hilton
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Toni Atkins (D) |
Brian Dahle (R) |
Steve Hilton (R) |
Eleni Kounalakis (D) |
Tony Thurmond (D) |
Antonio Villaraigosa (D) |
Betty Yee (D) |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tulchin Research[A] | August 8-12, 2024 | 800 (LV) | ±3.5% | 4% | 13% | 10% | 10% | 4% | 13% | 7% | 40% |
Notes
[edit]- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
- Partisan clients
- ^ Poll sponsored by Villaraigosa's campaign
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mason, Melanie (January 19, 2024). "California Senate leader aims to be the state's first woman and LGBTQ+ governor". Politico. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Cadelago, Christopher (April 24, 2023). "Eleni Kounalakis first to launch campaign for California governor in 2026". Politico. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ Charrier, Emily (May 24, 2023). "Gubernatorial candidate Betty Yee swings by Sonoma". The Sonoma Index-Tribune. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ Flores, Hilda (September 26, 2023). "State Superintendent Tony Thurmond officially announces run for governor". KCRA. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ Gans, Jared (July 23, 2024). "Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa again running for California governor". The Hill. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Bollag, Sophia (April 24, 2023). "Former California Controller Betty Yee says she will run to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2026". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ "Alumni Profile: Michael Younger '02". Stevenson School. April 15, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Cadelego, Christopher; Lippman, Daniel (April 23, 2024). "Becerra plots political future after Biden administration". Politico. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Cadelago, Christopher; Mason, Melanie (October 5, 2023). "Party-switching billionaire targets California Republicans". Politico. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Willon, Phil (August 9, 2024). "Who is running for California governor in 2026? Meet the potential candidates". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Blake; Cadelago, Christopher; Gardiner, Dustin; Korte, Lana (October 12, 2023). "Laphonza Butler has options". Politico. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ "Sharifah Hardie Introduces 'California Forward' Plan as DNC Commences, Offering New Solutions for Economic Growth" (Press release). August 18, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Medina, Alex (July 23, 2024). "Antonio Villaraigosa announces another run for California governor". Boyle Heights Beat. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Cadelago, Christopher (April 11, 2024). "Firebrand sheriff and Fox News favorite considering run for California governor". Politico. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "David Cameron's former adviser Steve Hilton considers run for governor of California". The Daily Telegraph. August 27, 2024.
- ^ Cadelago, Christopher (August 27, 2024). "California Dream: Ex-Fox News host is mulling run for governor of the Golden State". Politico.
- ^ Solender, Andrew (February 13, 2024). "McCarthy floats future run for office in rare Capitol Hill visit". Axios. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
McCarthy dismissed a run for California governor in 2026
- ^ a b c d e f g Tefu, Bo (August 6, 2024). "Asm. Akilah Weber Endorses Sen. Toni Atkins for Governor". Post News Group. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "IBEW 569 Endorses Toni Atkins for Governor!". IBEW 569. May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Bajko, Matthew S. (June 17, 2024). "LPAC early endorses lesbian 2026 CA governor candidate Atkins". The Bay Area Reporter. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Rosenhall, Lauren (May 25, 2023). "Hillary Clinton backs Eleni Kounalakis for California governor". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ a b White, Jeremy B.; Korte, Lara; Brown, Matthew; Castanos, Ramon (May 25, 2023). "Kounalakis, Clinton and California clout". Politico. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ Koehn, Josh (April 24, 2023). "Eleni Kounalakis Running for California Governor. Will Kamala Harris Join Her?". The San Francisco Standard. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ Porter, Jacque (April 26, 2023). "Who is California gubernatorial candidate Eleni Kounalakis?". Fox 40 News Los Angeles. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Official campaign websites
- Toni Atkins (D) for Governor
- Sharifah Hardie (R) for Governor
- Eleni Kounalakis (D) for Governor
- Raji Rab (R) for Governor
- Nicholas Thompson (L) for Governor
- Tony Thurmond (D) for Governor
- Antionio Villaraigosa (D) for Governor
- Betty Yee (D) for Governor
- Michael Younger (D) for Governor
- Leo Zacky (R) for Governor