California gubernatorial election, 2026 (June 2 top-two primary)
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← 2022
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| Governor of California |
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| Top-two primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 6, 2026 |
| Primary: June 2, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| California executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A top-two primary takes place on June 2, 2026, in California to determine which candidate will earn the right to run in the state's gubernatorial election on November 3, 2026.
This page focuses on California's top-two gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on California's gubernatorial general election, see the following page:
Candidates and election results
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for Governor of California
The following candidates are running in the primary for Governor of California on June 2, 2026.
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ethan Agarwal (D)
- Toni Atkins (D)
- Ian Charles Calderon (D)
- Sebastian de Warren (D)
- Eleni Kounalakis (D)
- George Slivka (D)
- Michael Younger (D)
- Ché Ahn (R)
- Dylan Colbert (R)
- Sharifah Hardie (R)
- Brandon Jones (R)
- Kyle Langford (R)
- Jon Slavet (R)
- Ebony Taylor (R)
- Butch Ware (G)
- Nicholas Thompson (L)
- Jesse Alberti (No party preference)
- Javen Allen (No party preference)
- Tony Fitzpatrick (No party preference)
- Leonard Jackson (No party preference)
- Liam Keel (No party preference)
- Belinda Yung (No party preference)
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator (Assumed office: 2019)
Biography: Bianco attended the San Bernardino Sheriff's Academy and, upon graduation, began working at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. He worked there for 26 years before assuming office as sheriff-coroner-public administrator.
Show sources
Sources: Chad Bianco 2026 Campaign Website, "Public Safety," accessed March 25, 2026; Chad Bianco 2026 Campaign Website, "Affordability," accessed March 25, 2026; Chad Bianco 2026 Campaign Website, "Housing," accessed March 25, 2026; Capitol Weekly, "Better know a CA gubernatorial candidate: Chad Bianco," accessed May 23, 2025
Party: No party preference
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "As the "Anti-Politician", I will lead California with a no BS approach. I founded ScrewBigGov.com and Freedom In Action to expose the truth and motivate We The People to take action. My family and I have sacrificed immensely in this battle to free our planet from tyrannical control. Even through all these hardships I have lead with perseverance and will NOT yield until every man, woman and child is rid of this Globalist death grip! With God's guidance I will always put "We The People" first and will NOT cave to political pressure, bribes or threats. Our team will lead the charge against the globalist agenda. This is not just a movement; it is a rallying cry for patriots everywhere, a symbol of resistance against tyranny. My passion is exposing and ending Child Trafficking which has been completely ignored by politicians and mainstream media as the most profitable industry in our great state. I will use my skills learned in business (including troubleshooting for major corporations) to bring California back to the glory that it once was. I pride myself in having a history of making the impossible a reality. In summary. If there is a problem, challenge or issue, I will find a solution! The word "can’t" doesn’t exist in my reality! We The People hold the power and with your help, we will UNITE California as never seen before. We will bring back (CALI) California As Liberty Intended."
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Hilton received a bachelor's degree from Oxford University. His professional experience included working as a senior advisor to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and as a contributor for the Fox News Channel.
Show sources
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "I was raised by working-class parents—a letter-carrier and a school teacher—who instilled in me the values of hard work and accountability. I attended Bellarmine College Prep on a work-study scholarship and then graduated from Harvard, where I served as student body president. After teaching in San José schools through Teach For America and building tech companies focused on civic engagement, I was elected to the San José City Council in 2020 and then elected as mayor in 2022. As mayor, I have focused City Hall on core quality-of-life priorities and getting local government back to basics. We have made measurable progress on improving public safety, reducing street homelessness, cleaning up our neighborhoods, and accelerating housing production. Under this approach, San José has seen a decline in unsheltered homelessness, scaled up interim and shelter housing at a fraction of traditional costs, and earned recognition as the safest big city in the nation. I am running to bring this back-to-basics leadership to California. I live in San José with my wife and our two young children — and I am fighting every day for all of our families."
Party: No party preference
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Daniel Mercuri is a Southern California Native, husband, father, small business owner, Author, and U.S. Naval veteran (former HS-4 Black Knight). He performed his duties as an Aircrew Search and Rescue (SAR) and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) during Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He was honorably discharged in 2003. He is a former Congressional Candidate of CA. 25th District 2019-2020 Special Election, former CA. Gubernatorial Candidate of the 2021 Recall and 2022 CA. Prime, and is now declared for the 2026 gubernatorial election. Over the last 5 years, each race has taught Daniel to become, to what many of his supporters have come to recognize him as a ‘Constitutionalist.’ Because Daniel gained a deep understanding of how the malfeasance moves behind the political spectrum, he authored the book, ' Lucifer Zenith, Corrupting Nature's God Through Government Deception,' which reveals where the corrupt in government hides and operates. “As a watcher on the wall, I cannot in good conscience do nothing with the knowledge that has been revealed to me. I cannot in good conscience let the people fall prey to the current government defecation. I must, it is my duty to sound the alarm.” Daniel, like many who are tired of the political vitriol, is now more than prepared to bring the fight to the deplorable's doorstep! "The people are not interested in new leadership, they demand new servants!""
Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "I'm running for the office of California State Governor 2026, First and Foremost for the Citizens of this State. I was born and raised in Sacramento CA. Retiring from the U.S. Military, Sacramento County and Federal Service. With over 30 years of customer service and financial experience, I'm a dedicated professional who excels in promoting positive outcomes beyond expectations and overcomes adversity no matter the issue. Bringing a plethora of idea's, energy, a willingness to learn, motivation, the ability to inspire others, training and above all leadership in an atmosphere sorely lacking in all of the above. Regardless of the adversity, I'm willing to take on the challenges and the expectations of those I'm asking to represent as Governor of the Great State of California for 2026."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- U.S. House of Representatives, District 47 (2023-2025)
- U.S. House of Representatives, District 45 (2019-2023)
Biography: Porter received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard University. Her professional experience included working as a law professor and a consumer and bankruptcy attorney.
Show sources
Party: Peace and Freedom Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Ramsey Robinson is a dedicated mental health social worker and socialist organizer in San Francisco. With a fierce commitment to justice, Ramsey has spent years organizing to challenge systemic inequities—from poverty and racism to environmental destruction and state violence. As a mental health social worker, Ramsey earned his credentials on the front lines of the housing crisis, the mental health crisis, and the war on Black communities. After graduating with his Masters in Social Work from California State University, Los Angeles, Ramsey became a school social worker in San Francisco’s Bayview/Hunter’s point - a historically Black and working-class community disproportionately impacted by environmental racism. Seeing the impact of billionaire policies on his students motivated Ramsey to take the fight for change statewide. As a key member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and the Peace and Freedom Party of California, Ramsey has been instrumental in campaigns demanding justice for victims of police brutality, including the fight for Sawandi Toussaint and Banko Brown. He is active in the Palestine solidarity movement - helping organize and speaking at rallies with over a hundred thousand people in the first months after October 7th. Ramsey Robinson’s life and work embody the belief that another world is possible—one where all people, free from oppression, can not only survive but thrive."
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Steyer received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a master's degree from Stanford University. His professional experience included founding and managing Farallon Capital Management, a hedge fund.
Show sources
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- U.S. House of Representatives, District 14 (Assumed office: 2023)
- U.S. House of Representatives, District 15 (2013-2023)
- Dublin, California City Council (2010-2013)
Biography: Swalwell received a bachelor's degree and a J.D. from the University of Maryland. His professional experience included working as a prosecutor and deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California.
Show sources
Voting information
- See also: Voting in California
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[1] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[2] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.
Below we provide results for polls from a wide variety of sources, including media outlets, social media, campaigns, and aggregation websites, when available. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval. Know of something we're missing? Click here to let us know.
| Poll | Dates | Becerra (D) | Bianco (R) | Calderon (D) | Hilton (R) | Mahan (D) | Porter (D) | Steyer (D) | Swalwell (D) | Thurmond (D) | Villaraigosa (D) | Ware (G) | Yee (D) | Would not vote | Other | Undecided | Sample size | Margin of error | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
– | 3 | 14 | -- | 16 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 3 | -- | 2 | -- | 5 | 24 | 2,000 LV | ± 2.2% | California Democratic Party | |
– | 5 | 16 | -- | 17 | 4 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 4 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 16 | 3,889 LV | ± 2.5% | Los Angeles Times | |
– | 3 | 11 | -- | 13 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 3 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 1,000 LV | ± 3.0% | ||
– | 5 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 4 | -- | 2 | 1 | -- | 17 | 1,004 LV | ± 3.3% | ||
– | 3 | 23 | -- | 15 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 1 | 3 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 868 LV | ± 3.6% | N/A | |
– | 4 | 14 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 3 | -- | 2 | -- | 1 | 21 | 1,000 LV | ± 3.0% | N/A | |
– | 5 | 12 | -- | 14 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 5 | -- | 5 | -- | 11 | 10 | 1,049 LV | ± 3.9% | ||
– | 6 | 20 | -- | 12 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 10 | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 25 | 1,097 LV | ± 3.3% | Xavier Becerra (D) | |
– | 6 | 21 | -- | 17 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | 1 | 1,400 LV | ± 2.6% | ||
– | 5 | 17 | -- | 14 | -- | 11 | 8 | 11 | 2 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 25 | 800 LV | ± 3.5% | California Environmental Voters | |
| Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters. | |||||||||||||||||||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
2016-2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 71.9% of Californians lived in one of the state's 25 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 19.5% lived in one of 8 New Republican counties. Overall, California was Solid Democratic, having voted for Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, Joe Biden (D) in 2020, and Kamala Harris (D) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in California following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| California county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 25 | 71.9% | |||||
| New Republican | 8 | 19.5% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 23 | 8.0% | |||||
| Battleground Republican | 2 | 0.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 25 | 71.9% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 33 | 28.1% | |||||
Historical voting trends
California presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 16 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | P[3] | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in California.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of California
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in California.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of California's congressional delegation as of March 2026.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from California | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 43 | 45 |
| Republican | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Independent | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 2 | 52 | 54 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in California's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor |  Gavin Newsom |
| Lieutenant Governor | Eleni Kounalakis |
| Secretary of State | Shirley Weber |
| Attorney General | Rob Bonta |
State legislature
California State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 30 | |
| Republican Party | 10 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | |
California State Assembly
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 60 | |
| Republican Party | 20 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | |
Trifecta control
California Party Control: 1992-2025
Twenty years with Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Assembly | D | D | D | S | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
The table below details demographic data in California and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for California | ||
|---|---|---|
| California | United States | |
| Population | 39,538,223 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 155,858 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 44% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 5.5% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 15.3% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 17.4% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 16.3% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 39.8% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 84.6% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 36.5% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $96,334 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 12% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
State profile
| Demographic data for California | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in California. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in California
California voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More California coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in California
- United States congressional delegations from California
- Public policy in California
- Endorsers in California
- California fact checks
- More...
See also
| California | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
- ↑ Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
- ↑ Progressive Party
