![]() | |||
| |||
|
Elections in California |
---|
![]() |
The 2026 California gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the next governor of California. The nonpartisan top-two primary election will take place on June 2, 2026. Incumbent Democratic governor Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term.
As of July 2025, 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 and have not held any statewide office in California since 2011.
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [e] | Margin of error | Toni Atkins (D) | Xavier Becerra (D) | Chad Bianco (R) | Steve Hilton (R) | Katie Porter (D) | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | Betty Yee (D) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emerson College [110] | September 15-16, 2025 | 1000 (RV) | ± 3% | 1% | 5% | 8% | 10% | 16% | 4% | 3% | 13% [f] | 38% |
Berkeley IGS [111] | August 11–17, 2025 | 4950 (RV) | ± 1.5% | 1% | 9% | 10% | 6% | 17% | 4% | 2% | 12% [g] | 38% |
True Dot/Politico [112] | July 28–August 12, 2025 | 875 (RV) | ± 2.6% | 4% | 9% | 15% | 10% | 21% | 9% | 6% | 17% [h] | 9% |
Emerson College [113] | August 4–5, 2025 | 1000 (RV) | ± 3% | 2% | 3% | 7% | 12% | 18% | 5% | 2% | 15% [i] | 38% |
Emerson College [114] | April 12–14, 2025 | 899 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 2% | 3% | 4% | – | 12% | 5% | 3% | 17% [j] | 54% |
with John Cox
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [e] | Margin of error | Toni Atkins (D) | Xavier Becerra (D) | John Cox (R) | Kamala Harris (D) | Eleni Kounalakis (D) | Katie Porter (D) | Tony Thurmond (D) | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | Betty Yee (D) | Other |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capitol Weekly [115] | February 3–7, 2025 | 692 (RV) | – | 2% | 4% | 21% | 23% | 2% | 16% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 27% [k] |
1073 [l] | 3% | 5% | 21% | – | 5% | 26% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 30% [m] |
with Brian Dahle
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [e] | Margin of error | Toni Atkins (D) | Xavier Becerra (D) | Chad Bianco (R) | Brian Dahle (R) | Steve Hilton (R) | Eleni Kounalakis (D) | Katie Porter (D) | Tony Thurmond (D) | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | Betty Yee (D) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USC/CSU Long Beach/ Cal Poly Pomona [116] | September 12–25, 2024 | 1,685 (LV) | ± 2.4% | 1% | 3% | 5% | 5% | 4% | 2% | 14% | 1% | 3% | 3% | 9% [n] | 50% |
Tulchin Research (D) [117] [A] | August 8–12, 2024 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | – | – | – | 13% | 10% | 10% | 4% | 4% | 13% | 7% | – | 39% |
with Alex Padilla
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [e] | Margin of error | Toni Atkins (D) | Xavier Becerra (D) | Chad Bianco (R) | Steve Hilton (R) | Alex Padilla (D) | Katie Porter (D) | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | Betty Yee (D) | Rick Caruso (D) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emerson College [118] | September 15-16, 2025 | 1000 (RV) | ± 3% | 1% | 3% | 8% | 10% | 7% | 16% | 4% | 2% | 4% | 9% [o] | 36% |
with Steve Garvey
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [e] | Margin of error | Toni Atkins (D) | Xavier Becerra (D) | Chad Bianco (R) | Steve Garvey (R) | Eleni Kounalakis (D) | Katie Porter (D) | Tony Thurmond (D) | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | Betty Yee (D) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Breakthrough Campaigns [119] [B] | November 22–26, 2024 | 1,228 (LV) | ± 2.8% | 1% | 2% | 6% | 18% | 8% | 21% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 23% [p] | 12% |
3% | 6% | 14% | 21% | 9% | 24% | 2% | 3% | 6% | 1% [q] | 11% |
with Kamala Harris
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [e] | Margin of error | Toni Atkins (D) | Chad Bianco (R) | Kamala Harris (D) | Eleni Kounalakis (D) | Katie Porter (D) | Tony Thurmond (D) | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | Betty Yee (D) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emerson College [114] | April 12–14, 2025 | 911 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 1% | 4% | 31% | 2% | 8% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 11% [r] | 39% |
"Democratic Primary Poll" [s]
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [e] | Margin of error | Toni Atkins (D) | Kamala Harris (D) | Eleni Kounalakis (D) | Katie Porter (D) | Tony Thurmond (D) | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | Betty Yee (D) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emerson College [120] [C] | February 10–11, 2025 | 469 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 3% | 57% | 4% | 9% | 1% | 4% | 2% | 5% [t] | 17% |
3% | – | 5% | 21% | 3% | 9% | 3% | 12% [u] | 45% |
No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||||
Atkins | Kounalakis | Thurmond | Yee | |||||
1 | Sep. 29, 2024 | National Union of Healthcare Workers Los Angeles Times , The Associated Press, Politico | Laurel Rosenhall Lisa Matthews Melanie Mason | YouTube | P | P | P | P |
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report [121] | Solid D | September 11, 2025 |
Inside Elections [122] | Solid D | August 28, 2025 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [123] | Safe D | September 4, 2025 |
Race to the WH [124] | Safe D | September 16, 2025 |
Partisan and media clients
Attorney General Rob Bonta won't run for California governor in 2026, he told Playbook...instead, he'll seek reelection as AG and back former Vice President Kamala Harris if she jumps into the fray to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.
'No, no. Definitely not,' Schiff said when NOTUS asked whether he would consider running [for governor in 2026]
Grant Cardone dissects the state of the country and whether a 2026 California gubernatorial run could happen
McCarthy dismissed a run for California governor in 2026
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Thurmond has been endorsed by several former and current state lawmakers and U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman.
I'm a Villaraigosa guy.
Betty Yee has been endorsed for Governor by Progressive Democrats of America – California (PDA-CA).
Official campaign websites