"Is there anyone who is not running for governor? I'm not. And neither are my two cats. At least they weren't as of this morning, when we discussed the race before breakfast. That leaves us somewhat short of the 135 candidates who ran in California's 2003 recall gubernatorial election. But not by much. I count nearly a dozen serious candidates, with possibly more to come. Why so many? Opportunity."
"This is the most wide-open race for California governor in decades. By comparison, you'd have to go back to at least 1998, when Lt. Gov. Gray Davis surged past a pair of moneybag candidates, Al Checchi and Rep. Jane Harman, in the Democratic primary, then stomped Republican Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren in November to win the general election. Now, as then, there is no one who even remotely resembles a prohibitive front-runner."
"After making a bundle as a hedge fund manager, the San Francisco billionaire and environmental activist has been panting after public office for years. Running for president didn't work out in 2020, even after Steyer spent more than $345 million on his effort. (That's close to what the Dodgers spent on their 2025 payroll.) So now Steyer is running for governor, a move he appeared to telegraph by airing nearly $13 million in self-promotional ads that, oh yes, supported passage of Pro"
The California governor's contest is highly competitive with nearly a dozen serious candidates and potential for more entrants. No candidate currently holds a prohibitive lead, and polling shows top contenders with only middling support in the low double digits. The field echoes past wide-open statewide races, including the 2003 recall and the 1998 contest where Gray Davis prevailed amid wealthy opponents. Billionaire Tom Steyer has entered the race after a costly national bid and has spent heavily on self-promotional advertising. The state has not historically been favorable to ultra-wealthy candidates despite large expenditures.
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