Governor Race 2026

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.

California's wild and wide-open primary election came to a close Tuesday with voters consolidating behind leading candidates for their parties.

Few California mayors ever become governor. Their skills might be perfectly suited to the job, but those exact same skills, when exercised, may be precisely what makes voters wary of them. 

California's payroll taxes aren’t keeping up with benefit payouts. The unemployment insurance fund will be $22 billion in the hole by year's end, the state says.

CalMatters partnerships director Dan Hu drove 3,000 miles, teamed up with 30 local partners and hosted more than 600 people at VotingMatters events, presenting nonpartisan election information and fostering community discussions.