{"id":919216,"date":"2026-07-12T01:15:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/12\/in-california-a-tight-race-to-govern-a-state-with-looming-challenges\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T01:15:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:15:21","slug":"in-california-a-tight-race-to-govern-a-state-with-looming-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/12\/in-california-a-tight-race-to-govern-a-state-with-looming-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"In California, a tight race to govern a state with looming challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

On a warm evening in Northern California, a line of people snakes along the curb outside a performing arts center. Nearby, a blue bus reads: \u201cAll aboard for a California you can afford.\u201d It belongs to Tom Steyer, who\u2019s here making his pitch to voters in the final days before California\u2019s June 2 gubernatorial primary.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an unusual \u2013 and for many voters, anticlimactic \u2013 campaign, in a state that\u2019s more accustomed to candidates with high name recognition and often literal star power. Past California governors have included Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan, both straight out of Hollywood.<\/p>\n

This year, with only days to go, most polls show Xavier Becerra, the state\u2019s former attorney general and health secretary under President Joe Biden, with a lead but hardly an insurmountable one. Close behind are fellow Democrat Mr. Steyer, a billionaire who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, and Republican Steve Hilton, a British-born businessman and former Fox News host, who has President Donald Trump\u2019s endorsement. The top two candidates, regardless of party, will move on to November\u2019s election.<\/p>\n

\n

Why We Wrote This<\/h2>\n

California\u2019s next governor will face significant challenges, including high housing costs and economic fallout from AI in the tech and entertainment industries. The June 2 primary will elevate two candidates from a crowded field that has lacked a dominant front-runner.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Several prominent Democrats took a pass on the race to succeed the term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom \u2013 including former Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as California Sen. Alex Padilla. The state\u2019s current lieutenant governor and attorney general also opted not to run. Strategists say lingering uncertainty about whether Ms. Harris, in particular, might jump in effectively kept the field frozen for months, and may have deterred other strong candidates from entering the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most memorable thing about this race will be who didn\u2019t run,\u201d says Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist.<\/p>\n

Some may also have been put off by the complexities of the job itself: California\u2019s next governor will face significant challenges, including some of the nation\u2019s highest housing costs, as well as rising utility, food, and gas prices. The economic fallout from AI is already hitting the state\u2019s tech sector, while another California industry \u2013 Hollywood \u2013 has seen much of its production migrate to lower-cost locales. Drought and wildfires are an ongoing concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no easy victories on the horizon,\u201d says Matt Lesenyie, a political science professor at California State University, Long Beach. \u201cThat\u2019s a bit of a deterrence on candidate entry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the lack of star power, the race has featured a number of twists and turns. It was rocked in mid-April when news outlets reported that former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who had been gathering steam in the race, faced allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Mr. Swalwell resigned from Congress and ended his gubernatorial campaign.<\/p>\n

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Republican Steve Hilton speaks to the press in the spin room after a gubernatorial debate held at Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium in Claremont, California, April 28, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

At one point, with an unusually crowded field of Democrats and no obvious front-runner, polls suggested two Republicans might actually emerge from the primary in this deep-blue state as the top two vote-getters. Other Democrats on the ballot include former Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. The possibility of two Republicans winning became far less likely once President Trump endorsed Mr. Hilton, effectively stranding the other Republican in the race, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, many Democratic voters remain highly aware of the potential for unintended consequences, and are thinking strategically about their vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to consider voting for anyone other than the top two,\u201d says Will Abrams, an energy public policy consultant waiting outside the Steyer event. If supporting one of the lower-polling Democrats could somehow result in no Democrat making the ballot this fall, it\u2019s just not worth it, he adds.<\/p>\n

Mr. Abrams is leaning toward casting his vote for Mr. Steyer, saying he likes Mr. Steyer\u2019s pledge to reduce energy rates. \u201cI want to see someone who can lead,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The top two Democratic campaigns have tended to downplay policy differences between them, focusing more on questions of identity and background. Mr. Becerra, who would be the state\u2019s first Latino governor since the 19th century, talks up his working-class roots and his government experience. Mr. Steyer casts himself as an outsider who won\u2019t be beholden to corporate donors or special interests.<\/p>\n

Running on a progressive platform that includes support for single-payer healthcare, Mr. Steyer presents a sort of cognitive dissonance to Democratic voters accustomed to years of party messaging about the dangers of billionaires influencing elections. He\u2019s poured around $200 million of his own money into this campaign.<\/p>\n

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Democratic candidate Tom Steyer (center) poses with supporters during a gubernatorial campaign event in Berkeley, California, May 27, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the only billionaire on the ballot, but there are billionaires all over this race,\u201d he says to reporters before his Santa Rosa event. \u201cThey\u2019re spending tens of millions of dollars to stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He argues that what matters isn\u2019t his personal fortune but what he would do to help average Californians if he wins.<\/p>\n

He supports a proposed wealth tax on the ballot this fall that would impose a one-time, 5% tax on California billionaires like himself. He also backs a commercial property tax increase. As he walks onstage to the Tom Petty song \u201cI Won\u2019t Back Down,\u201d a man in the crowd waves a sign reading \u201cTax Millionaires.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Steyer\u2019s lack of political experience may actually prove to be a positive for many voters, in a year in which there\u2019s been widespread unhappiness with the status quo.<\/p>\n

Democratic voter and former teacher Julie Sherman says she arrived at the event undecided, but by the end was leaning toward Mr. Steyer. She had been considering Mr. Becerra, but worries he won\u2019t bring enough change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he has worked within the system,\u201d she says, wondering if Mr. Becerra would be too \u201cafraid to rock the boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a debate last month at East Los Angeles College, Mr. Hilton tried to cast himself as the true change agent in the race, blaming Democrats \u2013 who control the legislature and the governorship in California \u2013 for the high cost of living.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need some fresh thinking after 16 years of one-party rule,\u201d said Mr. Hilton, who says he would eliminate state income taxes on the first $100,000 of earned income and encourage the construction of more affordable housing through tax breaks, eliminating red tape, and establishing a state loan program for first-time buyers.<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s a tough sell in a deep-blue state where President Trump is deeply unpopular.<\/p>\n

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Democrat and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra takes a group photo with supporters from the Laborers\u2019 International Union of North America, at a town hall meeting in Sacramento, California, May 11, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Mr. Becerra puts the blame for high prices squarely on the White House. \u201cLet\u2019s focus on who\u2019s raising the cost of living in California the most,\u201d he said at the debate. \u201cThe price of gas has gone up … because of Donald Trump and his war in Iran. The price of goods, groceries have gone up in California because of Donald Trump\u2019s illegal tariffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

His experience at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has prepared him for the role of governor, Mr. Becerra says on the trail, adding that he expanded healthcare subsidies, and lowered out-of-pocket costs.<\/p>\n

Polls show most Californians see the race through the lens of the cost of living and threats to democracy, both of which rank high for voters.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a clear enthusiasm gap between Democratic and Republican voters, says Mark Baldassare, survey director at the Public Policy Institute of California. He expects high turnout from Democratic voters Tuesday, describing them as highly energized. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, he says, seem to be saying, \u201c\u2018We have a message to send. We don\u2019t like the way things are going.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a warm evening in Northern California, a line of people snakes along the curb outside a performing arts center. Nearby, a blue bus reads: \u201cAll aboard for a California you can afford.\u201d It belongs to Tom Steyer, who\u2019s here making his pitch to voters in the final days before California\u2019s June 2 gubernatorial primary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":919217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[921,34478],"tags":[5229,16549],"class_list":["post-919216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","category-tight","tag-california","tag-tight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=919216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/919217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=919216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=919216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=919216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}