Governor Race 2026

What would Xavier Becerra, a 35-year veteran of Democratic politics, do as California governor? He’s still not saying.

Wildfire spending is the largest driver of rate increases, adding hundreds of dollars to power bills. The state has let utilities work around cost limits.

Steve Hilton made the British Conservative Party more liberal and has held policy positions spanning the political spectrum. He’s California Republicans’ best hope at reclaiming the governor’s seat.

Democratic leaders in California agree that speeding up the vote count would be nice. But they refuse to pursue any changes that would decrease voter access despite voter frustration with the slow trickle of results.

Odds are Xavier Becerra will win against Steven Hilton. Then as governor — and unlike Gavin Newsom — Becerra won't likely run for higher office while governing.

Hilton advances to the November general election, where he'll face longtime politician Xavier Becerra.

After a heated race with a crowd of Democratic candidates, Xavier Becerra pulled ahead of rival Republican Steve Hilton in election results returned Friday. Becerra's challenger is not known yet.

The top-two primary system can produce chaos and disengaged voters. This year’s picks for governor are coming from a small share of voters.

California voters approved a top-two primary election designed to encourage moderation. But in most races, it ends in a conventional Democrat vs. Republican. Some are ready to scrap the top two.

Xavier Becerra seems almost certain to advance in the governor's race, given pre-election polls and initial vote counts. If Republican Steve Hilton joins him, Becerra would likely have an easy win in November.