California governor – With Governor Gavin Newsom’s term ending this year, California’s 2026 primary race for governor is shaping up as a close contest between Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra—while Steyer sits in the middle of the pack and the final November outc
The moment Governor Gavin Newsom’s term ends, California will move into a new political chapter—and voters have already started writing it.
In the 2026 primary election, residents are casting ballots in the race for governor. The campaign promises have stayed centered on two themes dominating the state’s headlines: affordability and housing. But as ballots are counted. the contest is narrowing in a way that feels less like a broad field and more like a showdown—Republican Steve Hilton on one side. Democrat Xavier Becerra on the other.
Becerra has framed the election as a fight against Donald Trump’s policies if he’s elected. In his campaign promise. he says. “Californians know all about disasters. but Donald Trump is a man-made natural disaster attacking Californians every day. ” and adds that. as California’s Attorney General. he “sued the Trump Administration more than 120 times. and won landmark victories protecting Obamacare. working Californians and Dreamers from attacks.”.
Hilton, meanwhile, has leaned hard into blame and urgency. He’s campaigned on the idea that California is “sadly famous for dystopian scenes of crime. chaos and squalor. ” and he points to “staggering incompetence of [the] Democrat one-party rule” as the cause of devastation behind the 2025 Los Angeles County fires. His message includes a pledge to “make California Golden again. ” a motto that echoes Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
The race is still a primary, so no candidate is being declared the sole winner tonight. The next California governor will be decided later, in November 2026, following the general election.
Only the two highest-voted candidates from the primary election advance to the general election this fall.
At the time of publication, Hilton is leading the polls at 27.8 percent, while Becerra trails at 25.4 percent. Steyer sits at 19 percent. If those numbers hold after all ballots are tallied, Hilton and Becerra are likely to advance to the general election.
Right now, the question isn’t just who’s ahead—it’s whether that gap can survive the final push before ballots finish being counted, and whether either candidate can convince voters that the change they’re promising will translate into everyday relief once Newsom’s term ends.
With the numbers still close and Steyer still in play. the primary doesn’t offer a clear answer on who could actually become California’s next governor. It depends on what happens between now and November 2026—on campaigning. turnout. and which message lands hardest with state residents looking for tangible improvement in affordability and housing.
California governor primary 2026 Gavin Newsom term ends Steve Hilton Xavier Becerra Steyer California election polls affordability crisis housing crisis Los Angeles County fires 2025