Who's running for California governor? See latest list of candidates for 2026 election
LOS ANGELES -- The race for California governor appears to have narrowed to three leading candidates - two Democrats and one Republican - in what political observers say is the most competitive gubernatorial primary the state has seen in years.
Candidates have been traveling across the state in the final stretch of the campaign, making stops in both Southern and Northern California. Front-runner Xavier Becerra was in Sacramento on Monday, where he hopes to serve as governor.
Fellow Democrat Tom Steyer, who is polling just behind Becerra, spent time in Westwood speaking with students at UCLA. He met with a small group for a discussion focused on issues including the University of California system and workers in the state.
On the Republican side, Steve Hilton has emerged as the top challenger, polling alongside Becerra and Steyer. Hilton has called on fellow Republican Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, to drop out of the race.
Bianco responded on social media, writing, "It's clear that Steve Hilton supporters should unite and support me. While they're at it, Becerra, Steyer, Porter, Mahan, Thurmond, AND Villaraigosa supporters should vote for me too."
Election dynamics have shifted during the campaign. Earlier, Democrats worried about being shut out of the general election if their vote was split among too many candidates, potentially allowing two Republicans to advance. Now, there is a possibility Republicans could be excluded from the general election if Becerra and Steyer finish in the top two.
Here's a look at the major candidates running for California governor
Antonio Villaraigosa (D)
Villaraigosa served as L.A. mayor from 2005 to 2013. He also served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Villaraigosa ran for governor in 2018, the year Gavin Newsom was elected.
Mayor Karen Bass endorsed Villaraigosa last September, praising his work on issues like children's health to the environment.
"We've been working together across this town, focused on the issued that people care about -- safe streets, clean neighborhoods, fair distribution of resources," Villaraigosa said at the time. "We've stood up together decade after decade."
"But let's be clear. This isn't just about friendship. We aren't here today because we're all friends. We're here today because these times are difficult. We face big challenges in this state," Villaraigosa said. "We need a broad coalition of people in this state to take on those challenges. And I've said, To whom much is given, much is expected.' I'm here today and that's why I'm so proud to be here with all of you, I'm here today because there was as Civil Rights Act. I'm here today because there was a voting rights act. I'm here today because people fought to open up this country to us."
Chad Bianco (R)
Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, is one of the two biggest names running on the Republican ticket. He's been sheriff since 2019 and is a well-known figure in the law enforcement community.
"I am the antithesis to California state government because I am going to take a nuclear bomb into that building and absolutely destroy everything that they do to us behind closed doors," he told Eyewitness News during a recent one-on-one interview.
Although he's been elected by the voters twice, Bianco says he's not a politician -- which is why he believes his campaign for California governor is resonating, as reflected in the polls.
Katie Porter (D)
Porter is a former congresswoman from Orange County who served in Washington, D.C. from 2019 to 2025, leaving to run for Senate and losing in the primary to Adam Schiff. Porter has a long career as a law professor and is a tenured professor at UCI's law school.
She said that if she's elected governor, California would continue to serve as the resistance to Trump, but she also said that the affordability crisis cannot be blamed solely on the administration.
"This is not a crisis that is just because of Donald Trump," Porter told Eyewitness News. "His tariffs, his economic instability, his immoral ICE raids are worsening California's housing crisis, but this is about our own policy decisions.
"If California would build housing at the same speed that our competitor states do, we could take almost 20% off the cost of housing."
Matt Mahan (D)
Mahan has been mayor of San Jose since 2023. Though he's not too well known in Southern California, he told Eyewitness News he plans to address that.
"I'm spending a lot of time down here and I want to shine a spotlight on the things we can do better to hold Sacramento and our cities and counties accountable, for making California work for our middle-class families," Mahan told Eyewitness News last month. "What we saw ... on Skid Row is a multi-decade public policy failure. We're failing to build the shelter, the treatment capacity that our most vulnerable neighbors need. We're also failing to enforce against drug dealing and create accountability for people to come indoors."
The 43-year-old Democrat has seen success in San Jose on homelessness and crime with a one-third reduction in street homelessness. In the first two weeks of his campaign, millions of dollars have poured in from the tech community, which his rivals have criticized.
It's not much of a surprise as San Jose is the largest city in Silicon Valley.
"I think that the governor has to be again a fighter for our values as well as a fixer of our problems. In San Jose, I've shown I can do both. In the long run, fixing our problems is going to be the best resistance imaginable," said Mahan.
Steve Hilton (R)
Hilton is a former Fox News host and a vocal supporter of Trump. He was born in the UK where he served as director of strategy for former Prime Minister David Cameron, and then moved to California in 2012.
He became a U.S. citizen in 2021.
Hilton blames climate change policies for the housing and affordability crisis in California, saying the policies have made it more costly to build. He added that he doesn't believe climate change played a role in last year's destructive and deadly wildfires.
"It's a complete failure of Democrat policies, and to blame it all on climate change is an insult to everybody who lost their home," Hilton said.
Eyewitness News asked Hilton if he supports Trump's tactics for immigration enforcement, to which he said, "Everybody supports."
"I can't imagine a single person who doesn't support what's been done to close our southern border and stop this absolutely outrageous undermining of the law we saw in the Biden years. I'm a legal immigrant, and I've said many times, I'm the candidate of the legal immigrant community for the legal immigrant community," Hilton said.
Tom Steyer (D)
Steyer is a billionaire who wants billionaires to pay their fair share. He said California would not lose its competitive edge even if billionaires leave to shield their private wealth.
He also addressed a proposed one-time 5% wealth tax that has not yet made the ballot.
"In theory, I support it, and I'm going to wait and see what happens before I decide specifically if there is a wealth tax on the ballot," he said.
READ ALSO | Democrat Tom Steyer lays out priorities during LA town hall tour stop
Steyer also wants a special election to rewrite Proposition 13's tax limits for commercial properties.
"Large businesses that own huge office buildings and huge malls have been getting a tax loophole for over 40 years that makes no sense," Steyer said.
He added that the state remains an excellent place to start and grow companies but said controlling housing and health care costs plays a role.
"If we can control housing costs, and if we can control health care costs, that is going to make this a much easier place to do business," he said.
Tony Thurmond (D)
Thurmond is California's State Superintendent of Public Instruction. He's been elected statewide twice, in 2018 and most recently in 2022, when he earned 63.7% and 5,681,318 votes.
Prior to serving as California's superintendent of public instruction, Thurmond served in the State Assembly, and before then on the Richmond City Council and the West Contra Costa School Board.
In response to Hicks's request for candidates polling in the single-digits to drop out, Thurmond said the party is "essentially telling every candidate of color ... to drop out."
"This act doesn't reflect the Democratic Party of 2026," he said in a video his campaign posted on social media. "Aren't we supposed to be the party who embraces democracy? A party of, by and for the people. Well, the establishment might not be, but our campaign is, and that's why we're in this race, to win it."
Xavier Becerra (D)
Becerra served as the Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Biden -- the first Latino in that role. Becerra also served as California Attorney General from 2017 to 2021, and before that was in Congress.
He said some of his top priorities include building more housing, healthcare, and education.
"I am not running on inflated promises," he said in a video posted to his X account. "I am running on my record. Right now, I can tell you, I've taken on a reckless federal government. I have taken on ruthless corporations. I have defended workers' wages. I have defended women's reproductive rights. I have defended immigrants' rights up and down the state of California."
ABC News, the Associated Press and KGO-TV contributed to this report.