A Glut of Candidates for Governor

By Pat Cervelli
Published: May 1, 2026
Last updated: April 30, 2026
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There will be 24 Democrats (including Barack D. Obama Shaw) and 13 Republicans on the June 2 primary ballot for California governor (1). In addition to No Party Preference candidates (like the candidate named LivingforGodandCountry DeMott), other candidates from the American Independent Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Peace & Freedom Party will be listed, for a total of 62 on the certified list of gubernatorial candidates. No contender has a definitive lead in the polls.

Too many, you say? An Emerson poll from April 14-15, taken after Eric Swalwell, a leading aspirant, dropped out, shows two Republican candidates leading the crowded field of hopefuls: former Fox News host Steve Hilton at 17% and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 14% (2).

The rest of the top candidates, all Democrats, are each polling behind the two Republicans, except for Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer, who, at 14%, is tied with Bianco, according to the Emerson poll. Since California has an “open primary,” meaning that the two winners of the June 2 primary election, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to a runoff in the November election, the lead by the two Republicans could mean that Democrats, who make up 44.9% of California voters, are shut out in the November runoff (3). Republican voters, with just 25% of the electorate, could claim the governorship. The 22.7% of voters registered as No Party Preference will play a significant role.

With recent campaign suspensions by Swalwell and Betty Yee, the Democratic field has narrowed to six candidates:

  • Tom Steyer, front-runner,
  • Xavier Becerra, former CA Attorney General, who moved up after Swalwell quit, polling at 10%,
  • Katie Porter, a former Congress member, is also polling at 10%,
  • Matt Mahan, Mayor of San Jose and former tech executive, at 5%,
  • Tony Thurmond, CA Superintendent of Public Instruction, at 1%, and
  • Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles, at 1%.

Democratic Party polling from April 20 shows little change (4).

Since non-presidential “off-year” elections like the November 2026 election have notoriously low turnout, and primaries even lower, it is important to pay attention to and vote in this primary election (5).

The Democratic contest began with 24 candidates. By the March 26 deadline to remove their names from the ballot, none of the eight Democratic front-runners had done so. Two have subsequently dropped out, but their names remain on the ballot. The question is whether voters, who will begin voting in a few days, will know they dropped out.

Take Action

  1. Get the latest information on candidates still in the race before you vote and make an informed choice.
  2. Be aware of your preferred candidate’s chances of advancing to the runoff before voting. In other words, check the polling.
  3. Vote and encourage your family and friends to vote and create a high turnout in this election.
  4. Advocate with your state and federal representatives for a universal voter registration system, an opt-out rather than an opt-in structure.

NOTES

  1. “Certified List of Candidates for the June 2, 2026, Primary Election,” California Secretary of State, March 26, 2026.
  2. “California 2026 Poll: Swalwell Exit from Governor Race Opens Lane for Democrat Xavier Becerra,” Emerson College Polling, April 16, 2026.
  3. “California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., Releases 60-Day Report of Registration,” California Secretary of State, April 24, 2026.
  4. “2026 California Voter Index Tracking  Survey II Topline,” Evitarus, April 15-17, 2026.
  5. “Resources/Voter Turnout,” FairVote, 2018.