The two candidates who receive the most votes, regardless of party affiliation, will progress to the general election in November.
Archiv: election of Governor of California / 02-06-2026 nonpartisan primary (leading two candidates advance to election day regardless their political party) / 03-11-2026 election day
California gubernatorial polls show tight race before June primary
An Echelon Insights survey released Friday, May 22, shows Republican Steve Hilton — the poll‘s sponsor — leading the field with 25% of likely voters.
“Our lead is growing,” Hilton wrote in a post on X. “Now’s the time to come together and deliver the strongest Republican finish!”
Democrats Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra follow, capturing 18% and 15%, respectively. Republican candidate Chad Bianco trails with 12% in the poll, conducted between May 18 and May 21.
Record-setting outside money pouring into California governor’s race
(May 26, 2026)
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen IEs [or independent expenditures] have this kind of an impact on a governor’s race,” said veteran GOP strategist Martin Wilson, who has worked on every California gubernatorial contest since 1978 and worked on an outside effort backing San José Mayor Matt Mahan’s 2026 bid for governor. “It’s totally unprecedented.”
Nonpartisan primary
A nonpartisan primary, top-two primary,[1] or jungle primary[2] is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of political party.
Many Dems are stuck: Becerra, Steyer or someone else? Here’s what to know
(May 24, 2026)
Meanwhile, others not enamored by either candidate might fear throwing away their vote by backing one of the lower-polling Democrats. If I vote with my heart for a lower-polling candidate, the thinking goes, will that risk sending one or two Republicans to the general election?
Tom Steyer for Governor of California
Yes, Tom Steyer is a billionaire. But it matters what he is doing with that power: pushing for taxes on the wealthy, expanding universal programs, and dismantling corporate influence in our politics.
This is also about winning.
In a high-stakes race where Republicans could take the top spot, consolidating behind a candidate who is both values-aligned and building momentum is essential. Our organizers on the ground in California are seeing real energy around Steyer for Governor — and that grassroots engagement helped drive this decision.
Our Revolution, Nation’s Largest Independent Grassroots Political Organization, Endorses Steyer
(April 20, 2026)
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, Our Revolution, America’s largest grassroots independent political organizing group, announced its endorsement of Tom Steyer for Governor of California, joining a surge of prominent endorsers getting behind Steyer’s campaign as early voting approaches. Our Revolution was founded as a continuation of Bernie Sanders’s historic 2016 presidential campaign and works to mobilize voters and elect progressive candidates across the country. In the coming months, it will mobilize its more than one million Californian members to organize and volunteer in support of Steyer’s candidacy.
In California, Vote Against the Forces Destroying Democracy
It is painful that the one person who has spent the past decades aggressively supporting democracy, fighting for immigrant rights, fighting the tendency toward oligarchy in our politics, and challenging the fossil fuel industry is himself a billionaire. But the facts are that Tom Steyer will not veto the billionaire’s tax, has pledged to support closing the Water’s Edge Tax loophole, and has pledged to not take fossil fuel money.