The 2026 California Governor Race is leading up to be one of the biggest state elections in California history.
With many candidates running from both parties, the competition is intense, and has only heated up further following exits from candidates Rep. Eric Swalwell and former State Controller Betty Yee.
Swalwell’s exit has been gaining much media attention, as his departure stems from the collapse of his running campaign due to sexual assault and misconduct allegations reported to the San Francisco Chronicle.
“I’m terribly happy that Swalwell dropped out,” says AP Government teacher Jeff Isola ’98. “…because to me, he has been the epitome of the career politician, using power and influence for personal gain — the consummate opportunist who sought the spotlight so that he could rise through the ranks — I think we have enough of those already.”
Remaining in the race includes former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire and environmental activist Tom Steyer, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, Public Instruction Superintendent Tony Thurmond, former LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.
“I feel like it is anyone’s race and that there is not a clear front runner,” says Miriam Donner ’26.
With only two candidates able to make it past the June 2 Primary, the split loyalties of voters may play the most imperative role within the governor race.
Bella Miraglia ’26 described her process on how she’ll vote. “Since there are quite a few democratic representatives, I take my time and choose who I want to vote for based on their values and how I align with them.”
Baron Siu ’26 also weighed in on how he feels about the concern of the Blue Tribe being too big. “I think having so many Democratic candidates could make the race more unpredictable, but I would not say it automatically helps Republicans win.”
Siu continued, “California is still a very Democratic state, so a Republican winning would depend on low turnout and vote-splitting though.”
There is also a lot of concern and speculation amongst many of the candidates.
While Porter is known for grilling corporate executives with her trademark “whiteboard of justice,” she gained negative attention after incidents involving CBS Sacramento’s Julie Watts in 2025 and in a 2021 Zoom call with staffer Jennifer Granholm.
Steyer has also been making a considerable splash in the scene. Having spent $132 million on his campaign so far, Steyer advocates closing the corporate tax loophole, making free school lunches permanent, and most notably, “demolishing” ICE.
Bianco is another noteworthy candidate, as he is one of two Republican candidates (the other being Hilton) who is pro-Law Enforcement and eliminating state income taxes through increasing oil productions.
Bianco claimed to be the “antithesis to (the) California state government” who plans to destroy failed progressive policies while marketing himself as battling a corrupt Sacramento.
With many candidates from drastically different backgrounds all vying for the final two spots, the California Governor’s race will continue to be a fiery one.
