Election 2026 California Governor

Six leading candidates for California governor are jostling for advantage in a chaotic race with no clear leader. Four Democrats and two Republicans took the stage Wednesday for a televised debate. The race is the first time in a generation that California has a wide-open contest for the heavily Democratic state’s highest office. Mail ballots are scheduled to go to voters early next month in advance of the June 2 primary election. The campaign has just come through an unstable period, with U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell leaving the race and Congress following sexual assault allegations that he denies.

Eight candidates running to become governor of California have lobbed heated criticism at each other in a chaotic televised debate. The evening was filled with interruptions, tense exchanges and verbal detours — even at times from moderators. Candidates sparred over questions ranging from how to cut gas prices to potential state charges against federal immigration agents to how best to contend with wildfires. The unruly format underscored the instability in a crowded race that has no clear leader, with mail ballots going to voters in less than a week. It is the first time in a generation that California has a wide-open contest for the heavily Democratic state’s highest office.