Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton will face off in the general election for governor of California.
Becerra, who led the Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden, and Hilton, a former Fox News host who had been endorsed by President Donald Trump, advanced from a crowded, all-party primary.
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the California governor’s race and later resigned from Congress in the wake of allegations of sexual assault. He has denied wrongdoing.
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The crowded field included former Rep. Katie Porter; billionaire and climate activist Tom Steyer; former California Assembly majority leader Ian Calderon; and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
President Donald Trump had endorsed Hilton, a former Fox News host who had been at the top of many polls
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla decided not to run to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis dropped out of the governor’s race and opted to run for state treasurer instead.
In California, a solidly blue state, candidates compete in all-party primary elections, and the top two finishers, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election. The last Republican elected to the governor’s office was Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose term ended in 2011. An effort to recall Newsom in 2021 failed.
Trump has frequently singled out the state and criticized its Democratic leaders, including threatening to cut or withhold federal funds to the state and insulting Newsom as “Newscum.”
The tensions between California and the Trump administration were further heightened by immigration raids in the Los Angeles area, which sparked mass protests. The Trump administration responded by sending U.S. Marines into the city, and Trump threatened to arrest Newsom. Padilla was tackled and hauled out of a news conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles when he tried to ask questions of her.
In all, 36 governorships are up in 2026. Five Democratic-led states won by Trump in 2024 (Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) are holding elections for governor in 2026, while two Republican governors in states won by Harris (New Hampshire and Vermont) are up for reelection.
