The 2026 California gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next

governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constit ...

. The nonpartisan

top-two primary A nonpartisan primary, top-two primary, or jungle primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of political party. This distinguishes them from partisan primaries, w ...

election will take place on June 2, 2026. Incumbent Democratic Governor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...

is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term. Over a dozen candidates have already declared a campaign, with the field of candidates expected to expand. Republicans have not won any statewide race in the state since

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, and has not held any statewide office in California since 2011.

Candidates

Democratic Party

Declared

Toni Atkins Toni Gayle Atkins (born August 1, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 51st president pro tempore of the California State Senate from 2018 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the 69th speaker of the ...

, former President pro tempore of the California Senate (2018–2024) from the 39th district (2016–2024) and former

Speaker of the California State Assembly The speaker of the California State Assembly is the speaker (politics), presiding officer and highest-ranking member of the California State Assembly, controlling the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The speaker is nominated by th ...

(2012–2016) from the 78th district (2010–2016) *

Xavier Becerra Xavier Becerra (; born January 26, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services, a position he held from March 19, 2021 to January 20, 2025. He is the first Latino to h ...

, former

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

(2021–2025) and former

Attorney General of California The attorney general of California is the state attorney general of the government of California. The officer must ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" ( Constitution of California, Article V, Section 13). ...

(2017–2021) * Stephen Cloobeck, founder of

Diamond Resorts Diamond Resorts is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilton Grand Vacations. Diamond Resorts was an independent timeshare and vacation ownership company until it was purchased by HGV in 2021. Following the purchase, Diamond's resorts became part of HGV ...

Eleni Kounalakis Eleni Kounalakis (née Tsakopoulos; born March 3, 1966) is an American politician, businesswoman, and diplomat serving as the 50th lieutenant governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first Greek American ...

Lieutenant Governor of California The lieutenant governor of California is the second highest Executive (government), executive officer of the government of the U.S. state of California. The Lieutenant governor (United States), lieutenant governor is elected to serve a four-yea ...

(2019–present) (''will withdraw if Harris runs'') *

Katie Porter Katherine Moore Porter (born January 3, 1974) is an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. representative from California from 2019 to 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...

, former

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from (2019–2025) and candidate for U.S. Senate in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

(''will withdraw if Harris runs'') * Tony Thurmond,

California State Superintendent of Public Instruction California () is a state in the Western United States that lies on the Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California to the so ...

(2019–present) *

Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa (; né Villar Jr. on January 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Villaraigosa was a national co-chairman of Hillary C ...

, former

Mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

(2005–2013) and candidate for governor in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Betty Yee Betty T. Yee (born October 19, 1957) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as California State Controller from 2015 to 2023. She previously served as a member of the California Board of Equalization from 2004 to ...

California Democratic Party The California Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in Sacramento, the state capital. With 46.59% of the state's registered voters as of February 2024, the Democratic ...

vice chair (2021–present) and former

California State Controller The state controller of California is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of California, government of the U.S. state of California. Thirty-three individuals have held the office of state controller since statehood. T ...

(2015–2023)

Publicly expressed interest

Rick Caruso Rick Joseph Caruso (born January 7, 1959) is an American billionaire businessman. The founder and former CEO of the real estate company Caruso Affiliated, Caruso, he is also the chair of the board of trustees at the University of Southern Cali ...

, CEO of Caruso and runner-up for

mayor of Los Angeles The mayor of Los Angeles is the head of the executive branch of the government of Los Angeles and the chief executive of Los Angeles. The office is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan, a change made in the 1909 charter; previously, ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Potential

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

, former

vice president of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

(2021–2025), former

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

(2017–2021), and

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...

for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

''(decision expected by the end of summer 2025)''

Withdrew

* Fiona Ma,

California State Treasurer The state treasurer of California is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the Government of California, government of the U.S. state of California. 34 individuals have held the office of state treasurer since statehood. The incumb ...

(2019–present) ''( running for lieutenant governor)''

Declined

Rob Bonta Robert Andres Bonta (born September 22, 1972) is a Filipino and American lawyer and politician who has served as attorney general of California since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the California Stat ...

California Attorney General The attorney general of California is the state attorney general of the government of California. The officer must ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" (Constitution of California, Article V, Section 13). The ...

(2021–present) ''( running for re-election, endorsed Harris)'' *

Laphonza Butler Laphonza Romanique Butler ( ; born May 11, 1979) is an American labor union official and former politician who served as an interim United States Senate, United States senator from California from 2023 to 2024. Butler began her career as a union ...

, former

(2023–2024)

Republican Party

Declared

* Chad Bianco,

Riverside County Riverside County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,418,185, making it the fourth-most populous county in California and the 10th-most populous in the Unit ...

Sheriff-Coroner (2019–present) *Sharifah Hardie, business consultant *

Steve Hilton Stephen Glenn Charles Hilton (born 25 August 1969) is a British English and American political commentator, former political adviser, and contributor for Fox News Channel. He served as director of strategy for the British Prime Minister David C ...

, political commentator and former adviser to

UK prime minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

(2010–2012) *Brandon Jones, marketing agency founder *Kyle Langford, construction manager *Daniel Mercuri, author, candidate for governor in 2021 and

, and candidate for

California's 25th congressional district California's 25th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is currently represented by . The district includes all of Imperial County, California, Imperial County and parts of Riverside C ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

*Jimmy Parker, former judge *Leo Zacky, vice president of Zacky Farms and candidate for governor in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

and

Publicly expressed interest

* Grant Cardone, private equity fund manager *

Richard Grenell Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is an American diplomat, public official, and former public relations consultant who has served as Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators, special presid ...

, Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions (2025–present) and former U.S. Ambassador to Germany (2018–2020) ''(if Harris runs)'' * Jake Steinfeld, actor and fitness personality

Declined

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

, actor and filmmaker *

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...

, former

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by Davi ...

(2023) from (2007–2023)

Green Party

Declared

* Butch Ware, associate professor and nominee for

vice-president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

No party preference

Publicly expressed interest

*Ethan Penner, real estate investor ''(decision expected by June 2025)''

Declined

Nicole Shanahan Nicole Ann Shanahan (born September 26, 1985) is an American attorney and entrepreneur working in Silicon Valley. She was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate in his 2024 presidential campaign. Born in California, Shanahan graduated from the ...

, attorney and

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...

of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the

2024 presidential election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...

Primary election

Endorsements

Polling

Debates

General election

Predictions

Notes

Partisan and media clients

References

External links

Official campaign websites
Toni Atkins (D) for GovernorXavier Becerra (D) for GovernorChad Bianco (R) for GovernorStephen Cloobeck (D) for GovernorSteve Hilton (R) for GovernorEleni Kounalakis (D) for GovernorKyle Langford (R) for GovernorDaniel Mercuri (R) for GovernorKatie Porter (D) for GovernorTony Thurmond (D) for GovernorAntionio Villaraigosa (D) for GovernorButch Ware (G) for GovernorBetty Yee (D) for GovernorMichael Younger (D) for GovernorLeo Zacky (R) for Governor
{{2026 United States elections California gubernatorial elections

Gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Candidates

Democratic Party

Declared

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Withdrew

Declined

Republican Party

Declared

Publicly expressed interest

Declined

Green Party

Declared

No party preference

Publicly expressed interest

Declined

Primary election

Endorsements

Polling

Debates

General election

Predictions

See also

Notes

References

External links