California Governor’s Race 2026, 32 Declared Intent to Run
Current Governor Gavin Newsom is ineligible for election to a third term which has opened the race to include former presidential candidates, U.S. representatives, former Los Angeles mayor, San Jose mayor, former U.S. cabinet secretary, former advisor to UK prime minister, college student, actor, and more.
Declared candidates now must submit a filing fee of $4,918.58 or in-lieu of the fee, 6,000 signatures by March 4 to appear on the June primary ballot.
Below are the five leading individuals as determined by January and February polling, along with twenty-seven additional candidates. Noted people who declined to run include: Kamala Harris, former Vice President to President Joe Biden; Rick Caruso, runner up for mayor of LA 2022; Alex Padilla, current U.S. Senator; Adam Schiff, current U.S. Senator; Mel Gibson actor/filmmaker; and Kevin McCarthy, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Frontrunners (in alphabetical order):
Chad Bianco – Republican – current Riverside County Sheriff and Coroner since 2018. Bianco, 59, drew attention for refusing to enforce the state’s pandemic stay-at-home orders and the vaccine mandate for law enforcement officers. He is on record as a supporter of President Trump.
Steve Hilton – Republican – current political commentator, former adviser to UK prime minister David Cameron (2010-2012). A former Fox News host, Hilton, 56, entered the race saying he would take on what he calls the “Democrat industrial complex” and cut down on the state’s layers of regulations for business. His slogan is “Make California Golden Again.” He wants to end state taxes for income under $100,000 and slash state spending.
Katie Porter – Democrat - former U.S. representative from California’s 47th Congressional District (2019-2025) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024. A former U.S. representative from Orange County, Porter is a consumer advocate and critic of corporate influence. She launched her campaign for governor in March 2025. In the fall, two videos of Porter having prickly interactions with a reporter and staffer, respectively, went viral, but she said she would not “back down” from fighting for California. Porter is 52 and a lawyer.
Tom Steyer – Democrat -- founder of Farallon Capital and former candidate for president in 2020. Steyer, 68, earned his fortune as a founder of Farallon Capital Management. Steyer launched a bid for governor with a focus on getting corporate money out of politics and breaking up “the monopolistic power of utilities.” He is a billionaire activist, environmentalist, and entrepreneur.
Eric Swalwell – Democrat -- current U.S. representative from California’s 14th Congressional District (since 2013) and former candidate for president in 2020.
U.S. representative Swalwell, became a candidate on the late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The 45-year-old East Bay congressman served as House impeachment manager during Trump’s Senate trial and was a 2020 presidential candidate. Swalwell is facing a lawsuit filed by a conservative activist and filmmaker alleging the congressman is ineligible for governor due to residency issues.
Additional candidates:
Democratic Party
· Ethan Agarwal, tech entrepreneur
· Xavier Becerra, former secretary of Health and Human Services (2021-2025), and former attorney general of California (2017-2021)
· Carolina Buhler, UCLA student
· Ian Calderon, former majority leader of the California Assembly (2016-2020) from the 57th district (2012–2020)
· Derek Grasty, San José school district trustee (2024-present)
· Zoltan Istvan, founder of the Transhumanist Party, Libertarian candidate for governor in 2018, and Republican candidate for president in 2020
· Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose (2023-present)
· Thunder Parley, software engineer
· Raji Rab, pilot and perennial candidate
· George Slivka, activist
· Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction (2019-present)
· Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles (2005–2013) and candidate for governor in 2018
· Betty Yee, California Democratic Party vice chair (2021-present) and former California State Controller (2015-2023)