"In a state that's home to nearly 40 million people and the fourth largest economy in the world, the race for California governor has been lost in the shadow of President Trump's combustible return to office and, thus far, the absence of a candidate charismatic enough to break out of the pack. For the first time in recent history, there is no clear front-runner with less than five months before the June primary election."
""This is the most wide-open governor's race we've seen in California in more than a quarter of a century," said Dan Schnur, a political communications professor who teaches at USC, Pepperdine and UC Berkeley. "We've never seen a multicandidate field with so little clarity and such an absence of anything even resembling a front-runner.""
"Opinion polls bear this out, with more voters saying they are undecided or coalescing behind any of the dozen prominent candidates who have announced bids. Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) led the field with the support of 21% of respondents in a survey of likely voters by the Public Policy Institute of California released in December. Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, also a Democrat, and former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton, a Republican, won the support of 14% of poll respondents."
California's 2026 gubernatorial contest has no clear front-runner less than five months before the June primary. Voter preferences remain fragmented, with more voters undecided or spread across a crowded field than consolidated behind any candidate. National political dynamics, including President Trump's return to office, have overshadowed the race and no candidate has broken out with charismatic appeal. Polling shows former Rep. Katie Porter leading at about 21%, with Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton near 14%. Fundraising and potential party pressure on lesser-known contenders will be key factors shaping the field ahead of the primary.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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