Election 2026 California Governor

Does California’s race for governor finally have a leader? The contest to succeed outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is considered wide open. But a string of recent attacks on Rep. Eric Swalwell suggest his rivals might be getting antsy about him gaining ground in advance of a June primary. To listen to his competitors, he has a no-show job in Congress and he might not live in California. Swalwell has disputed those claims while picking up key endorsements from U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and powerful labor groups. Mail-in voting begins in early May. A large Democratic field has raised the possibility of a surprise outcome.

Democrats have run California for years. But in a nationally critical election, the party is being confronted by the limits of its own power: the race for governor is out of control. Barely a month before the start of mail-in voting, Democratic leaders are openly dreading the possible loss of a statewide election for the first time in two decades. No star has emerged from a muddled field of candidates for the state’s premier job. Meanwhile the race has degenerated into finger-pointing over debate eligibility, identity politics and 2025 ballot counting — issues distant from voters struggling with soaring gas and food costs.

President Donald Trump is endorsing Republican Steve Hilton for California governor, reordering a wide-open race. Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that he has known Hilton for years. The president says the conservative commentator Hilton is “a truly fine man” who can turn around a state beset with high taxes that “has gone to hell.” The endorsement will help Hilton coalesce conservative support in a crowded race with no clear leader. However, Trump is widely unpopular in heavily Democratic California outside his conservative base. The endorsement could become a liability if Hilton makes it to the November election.