With California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) term-limited and ineligible to run again, a massive group of contenders is lining up to take his job running the Golden State. Given the state’s strong liberal lean, most headlines have been focused on the Democratic candidates, many of whom have served or are currently serving major roles in government. But now they are looking to secure a seat in Sacramento come November 2026.
Over a dozen Democratic candidates
The numerous Democrats who have declared their candidacy include former Rep. Katie Porter, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and activist billionaire Tom Steyer. Rep. Eric Swalwell, one of the most high-profile California congressmen, has also joined the race.
Swalwell “gained prominence during President Donald Trump’s first term in office when he was heavily involved in both impeachment proceedings,” said NBC News, and he has previously run for president. His opponents are “emblematic of the current state of the California gubernatorial race: A wide-open contest, shaping up to be one of the most expensive political battles of 2026,” said Bloomberg.
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Steyer, a billionaire former hedge fund manager, is “pitching himself as a Democratic anti-corporate crusader who would spur housing production,” said Bloomberg. Porter was originally seen as a frontrunner, but her “bid was tarnished after she angrily confronted a television reporter and a video of her shouting at a staffer surfaced.” However, she “still leads Democratic contenders with 11% of support.” Villaraigosa “says he has the experience his rivals lack, but has so far steered clear of specific proposals.”
As former President Joe Biden’s HHS secretary, Becerra has some name recognition from his time at the White House. But he has also become embroiled in a scandal “involving his closest aides siphoning money from one of his campaign accounts,” said Politico. There is additionally a major name notably not running: former Vice President Kamala Harris, who ruled out a run for governor earlier this year. California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla was also considered a potential contender, but like Harris, he has declined a bid.
‘Lack of a blockbuster candidate’
Despite the number of candidates, the gubernatorial contest remains a “sleepy race filled with candidates looking for ways to catch fire in the 2026 election,” said the Los Angeles Times. Interest in the race among voters “remains relatively moribund” due to the influx of people running. However, the “lack of a blockbuster candidate in the race” has prompted others, such as Steyer, to throw their name into the ring.
Even as the candidate pool narrows down, it will be an uphill battle, as “getting elected governor of California is a difficult task, requiring the creation of a large apparatus to plan and execute a campaign strategy and raising tens of millions of dollars to pay for it,” said CalMatters. The “uncertainty underscores not only the daunting logistics of a California campaign, but perhaps some hesitancy” about running the state itself.
