{"id":337258,"date":"2026-05-29T09:06:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T09:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/337258\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T09:06:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T09:06:17","slug":"who-are-the-2026-california-governor-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/337258\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the 2026 California governor candidates?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Left to right: Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer and Steve Hilton participate in a California gubernatorial debate hosted by CNN at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park on May 5. Credit: AP\/Ethan Swope<\/p>\n

California hasn\u2019t seen a wide-open primary election for governor since 1998. The next governor will face a structural deficit that\u2019s projected to reach $35 billion in a few years and will also face a hostile administration in Washington, D.C., led by President Donald Trump. Even without those obstacles, the incoming governor will be confronted by ongoing challenges, including the state\u2019s high housing and gasoline prices, homelessness and wildfire risk.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"What\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

California governor, congressional seats and key local races like Alameda County district attorney are on the ballot.<\/p>\n

How the candidates for governor would make California more affordable (KQED<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Follow the money: Who\u2019s backing California\u2019s next governor \u2014 and why (CalMatters<\/a>)<\/p>\n

A quiz to see which candidates match your views (CalMatters<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Top candidates for governor<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary
Democrat<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Steve Hilton, businessman
Republican<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Tom Steyer, Democratic activist and former hedge fund manager
Democrat<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Chad Bianco, Sheriff, Riverside County
Republican<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Katie Porter, former U.S. representative
Democrat<\/p>\n

Additional candidates<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Matt Mahan, Mayor, San Jos\u00e9
Democrat<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor, Los Angeles
Democrat<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Tony Thurmond, Superintendent of Public Instruction
Democrat<\/p>\n

Mahan touts a decrease in unsheltered homelessness during his time as mayor and is promising to cut taxes on housing development and gas. <\/p>\n

Villaraigosa is promising to boost homebuyer assistance programs and create a task force to ensure federal immigration agents adhere to state law.<\/p>\n

Thurmond supports a proposed tax on the wealth of California billionaires and has promised to increase funding for dyslexia screening and tutoring.<\/p>\n

Hear from the candidates<\/p>\n

\t\t\tXavier Becerra: Can a Billionaire Tax Fix California\u2019s Budget?<\/p>\n

\t\t\tChad Bianco: On enforcing laws he disagrees with<\/p>\n

\t\t\tSteve Hilton: On why he should be the next governor<\/p>\n

\t\t\tKatie Porter: Why corporations should pay more<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTom Steyer: Is PG&E a monopoly?<\/p>\n

\t\t\tMatt Mahan: Who holds power in Sacramento?<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTony Thurmond: Who is ICE keeping safe?<\/p>\n

\t\t\tAntonio Villaraigosa: On unions and the public interest<\/p>\n

Positions on key issues<\/p>\n

Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, questionnaires, statements made at debates and public events, and past news coverage.<\/p>\n

California has clashed repeatedly with President Trump\u2019s second administration and sued the federal government more than 60 times since he came into office. How would you approach the state\u2019s relationship with the president?<\/p>\n

Becerra\u00a0cites fighting Trump as a top priority. He points to his time as California attorney general during Trump\u2019s first term, when his office sued the president more than 120 times and won \u201cmost\u201d of those cases, including protecting the Affordable Care Act, so-called Dreamer immigrants and the state\u2019s sanctuary immigration law.<\/p>\n

Bianco\u00a0famously endorsed the president\u2019s 2024 campaign by declaring, \u201cIt\u2019s time we put a felon in the White House.\u201d Bianco says voters should trust elections, but is in the middle of a court battle over the sheriff\u2019s office\u2019s unprecedented seizure of 650,000 Riverside County ballots from last November\u2019s statewide special election. If elected, Bianco has promised to try to overturn California\u2019s statewide sanctuary law, which prohibits state and local law enforcement from assisting in immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

Hilton\u00a0has Trump\u2019s endorsement and said he will make sure California works with, not against, the president. \u201cI just think we\u2019ve got to get out of this adversarial relationship and try and work together for the good of Californians,\u201d he said. But he also pointed to his time working for British Prime Minister David Cameron in a coalition government as proof he can work across the aisle.<\/p>\n

Porter\u00a0points to her tough questioning of Trump administration officials as a member of Congress as proof of her ability to stand up to the president. She promises to \u201cfortify\u201d the state\u2019s healthcare system to protect and expand care. \u201cI think I\u2019m really focused on not only standing up to Trump, but not ever letting Trump distract me from delivering a better California for the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Steyer\u00a0is an avowed Trump critic and spent millions of dollars of his own money in 2017 to push for his impeachment. He is calling out rising gas prices and their connection to the war in Iran. He is proposing an investigative unit to monitor potential wrongdoing by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and make it easier for the state\u2019s attorney general to prosecute federal agents.<\/p>\n

Affordability is a key concern for Californians, particularly around housing and gas. How would you work to bring those prices down?<\/p>\n

Becerra\u00a0cites the rising costs of healthcare, childcare and groceries as problematic. He says he will fight price gouging and unjustified rate hikes and \u201cuse the power of the state to lower costs where the market has failed.\u201d And he said he will use state money to keep financially unstable people in their homes, saying that would be cheaper than getting them housed after they are homeless.<\/p>\n

Bianco\u00a0promises to cut taxes and regulations, make California \u201coil independent\u201d and support the tech sector as a way to create more jobs. He opposes all new taxes and would move to eliminate the state income tax entirely, which accounts for more than 60% of state revenue. He promised to reduce other \u201ccost drivers\u201d like the state\u2019s gas tax. On housing, he is pledging to cut red tape to get more housing built faster.<\/p>\n

Hilton\u00a0says cutting taxes, spending and regulations will help grow the economy and lead to lower unemployment. He says he will make it possible for every family to buy a single-family home by capping development fees and reducing environmental regulations. \u201cIn a state as big as California, where just 5% of the land is developed, there\u2019s plenty of room to build the housing we need. They call it \u2018sprawl.\u2019 I call it the California Dream,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Porter\u00a0has built her career around protecting consumers and bringing down costs for families, and leans on her personal experience as a single working mother of three kids who does her own grocery shopping. She promises to sign laws to prevent insurance companies from denying care and to bring down drug costs, and she supports creating a state-level single-payer healthcare system. She also promises to get more housing built faster.<\/p>\n

Steyer,\u00a0despite his vast personal wealth, is running as a progressive who wants to build \u201cone million homes you can afford.\u201d He said he will do this in part by changing laws to make it easier to build on surplus public lands and invest in prefabricated housing, while also protecting renters. Steyer also said he will work to lower electricity bills and expand preschool for kids as young as 3 years old. He supports state-level single-payer healthcare.<\/p>\n

California faces a structural budget deficit, which is being compounded by federal spending cuts to key programs, including Medi-Cal (the state\u2019s Medicaid program) and social safety net programs. Would you cut spending or try to increase taxes to deal with those challenges?<\/p>\n

Becerra\u00a0says he supports higher taxes on the \u201cmega wealthy,\u201d whom he argues should be paying higher tax rates than nurses, teachers and public safety employees. He has not spelled out a specific plan but says he would look at taxing \u201cpassive\u201d income like investments. He has promised to protect state programs that support the most vulnerable Californians, like Medi-Cal.<\/p>\n

Bianco\u00a0wants to cut taxes, including eliminating the income tax, which currently brings about $140 billion into state coffers each year, more than half of what the state spends annually. He said he will make up for lost revenue with cuts in \u201cwasteful spending\u201d and by opening up more oil drilling in California. He has not provided details on what state programs he would cut to pay for those tax reductions.<\/p>\n

Hilton\u00a0wants to lower taxes. He proposed eliminating the state income tax for Californians earning less than $100,000 and imposing a flat 7.5% tax on earnings over $100,000. And he proposed eliminating the minimum franchise tax, which is about $800 annually for all businesses. Hilton is promising a joint federal-state task force to investigate fraud in government programs that he vows will \u201csave taxpayer money.\u201d He hasn\u2019t said which programs he will cut.<\/p>\n

Porter\u00a0is proposing to increase California\u2019s corporate tax rate on high-earning companies \u2014 and use the money to eliminate state income taxes for families who make under $100,000 and cover two years of in-state tuition at a University of California or California State University campus. While Porter has promised to protect Californians\u2019 healthcare, she has not proposed a specific way to backfill the billions of dollars the state is losing due to federal budget cuts.<\/p>\n

Steyer\u00a0supports increasing commercial property taxes, which were capped by 1978\u2019s Proposition 13. Steyer also supports a proposal to close the so-called \u201cwater\u2019s edge\u201d loophole that allows multinational corporations to shelter their profits in countries with low tax rates to avoid state taxes. While promising to hold down healthcare costs and work toward universal coverage, Steyer has not specified how he would do that, given the loss of federal funds.<\/p>\n

Key supporters<\/p>\n

This list represents notable organizations and individuals who have taken a position on the ballot measure or candidate, or who are funding campaigns in support or opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.<\/p>\n

For Becerra<\/p>\n

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California<\/p>\n

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas<\/p>\n

California State Council of Laborers<\/p>\n

For Bianco<\/p>\n

Darrell Issa, U.S. representative<\/p>\n

California Republican Assembly\u00a0<\/p>\n

California State Sheriffs\u2019 Association<\/p>\n

For Hilton<\/p>\n

Donald Trump, president<\/p>\n

Jack Hibbs, pastor, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills<\/p>\n

Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association PAC<\/p>\n

For Porter<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s List\u00a0<\/p>\n

United Auto Workers<\/p>\n

For Steyer<\/p>\n

Ro Khanna, U.S. representative<\/p>\n

California Nurses Association<\/p>\n

California Teachers Association<\/p>\n

Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii<\/p>\n

Former State Sen. Nancy Skinner<\/p>\n

Berkeley Councilmember Shoshana O\u2019Keefe<\/p>\n

Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bBerkeleyside is a media partner of KQED<\/a>, a listener-supported public radio station serving Northern California. Berkeleyside occasionally republishes KQED stories we believe will be of interest to our readers. CalMatters contributed reporting to this story.<\/p>\n

“*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Left to right: Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer and Steve Hilton participate in a California gubernatorial debate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":337259,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,35072],"class_list":["post-337258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-election-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}