Meet the Candidates Who Are Running for California Governor

Susan Heavilin
9 minutes ago
11 min read

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. There are 26 candidates running to be chosen as the gubernatorial candidate for the November 3, 2026 election.

The names below are listed alphabetically with their political party listed in parenthesis. Thirteen (13) of the candidates are Democrat, one (1) Green Party, one (1) Libertarian, eight (8) Republican and three (3) listed no party preference.

Candidates Running for Governor

The 26 candidates for Governor of California are listed below. Click on their names to go to their political website (if they have one) to read about them and see what they look like. Biographies, if available, are listed under their name in italics.

Ethan Agarwal (D)

It's time for California to build. We need to build new houses, buildings, highways, solar farms, power plants, and data centers. We need to build three new University of California campuses. We need to build new cities. We need to hire and pay teachers well to train people to work in these new jobs. We need to hire and pay cops well to protect our citizens.

Ché Ahn (R)

Ché Ahn is a husband, father, and community leader running for Governor of California in 2026. Born in South Korea after the war, his family came to the United States seeking freedom and a better life. Ché has lived that American dream — earning advanced degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary and spending over 40 years leading initiatives that strengthen families, serve the community, and bring people together. Now living in Pasadena with his wife, Sue, and surrounded by their children and grandchildren, Ché is stepping forward to serve California with fresh vision, bold leadership, and a heart for the people.

Jesse Alberti (No party preference)

Jesse Alberti was born in Catskill, New York. He earned a high school diploma from Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School and attended Mission College. Alberti's career experience includes working as an assistant director, newspaper boy, dishwasher, clown, environmentalist, babysitter, chess coach, football coach, bank teller, bartender, security guard, cook, chef, waiter, housekeeper, restaurant manager, building manager, and maintenance manager

Xavier Becerra (D)

Xavier Becerra and his spouse, Dr. Carolina Reyes, are both children of working-class families and first-generation college graduates. Like their parents, they understood that their biggest obligation was to teach their three daughters to reach a better place and improve the condition of the next generation. Becerra has spent 35 years serving California, from the State Assembly to the U.S. Congress, as California’s Attorney General and the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Chad Bianco (R)

From Sheriff to Governor: Protecting California. "We can and will restore the California Dream for all." Chad Bianco was born in 1967 at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, and grew up in a small mining town as the eldest of three boys. Raised by hardworking parents, he was instilled with the values of integrity, perseverance, and personal responsibility. These principles shaped his belief that respect is earned through actions, character, and commitment to service.

Ian Charles Calderon (D)

Ian Calderon has spent his career at the intersection of public service, business, and family life, bringing together real-world experience and proven leadership to deliver results for Californians.In 2012, Ian made history as the first millennial elected to the California Legislature, representing a Los Angeles County district. Four years later, at just 30 years old, he became the youngest and longest-serving Majority Leader in state history. Over eight years in the Assembly, Ian earned a reputation as a pragmatic leader focused on policies that strengthen California’s economy and improve quality of life for working families.

Tony Fitzpatrick (No party preference)

Tony Fitzpatrick was born in Newark, New Jersey. His career experience includes working as an activist.

Sharifah Hardie (R)

Sharifah Hardie was born in Washington, D.C.. She earned a high school diploma from Downtown Business Magnet School. Her career experience includes working as a politician. She has been affiliated with Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce, Black Business Co-Op, and 1 Me Foundation.

Lewis Herms (No party preference)

Lewis Herms was born in California. He earned a high school diploma from Bonita High School and attended Cal Poly University Pomona. Lewis Herms is a problem-solver by trade, not a career politician. A California native, he’s spent decades fixing broken systems, rebuilding what isn’t working, and delivering results people can actually feel. That experience shaped his belief that real leadership means accountability, follow-through, and taking responsibility for outcomes — not excuses. That same mindset drives Lewis’s vision for Rebuilding the California Dream: restoring trust, fixing what’s broken, and making government work again for California families.

Steve Hilton (R)

"I think the most important thing, if you actually want to make change happen, is to have the right ideas as well as the courage, conviction and consistency to follow through. Today in California, we have bad ideas, poorly executed. That has to change. In everything I’ve worked on and argued for, there has been a clear, consistent idea: to put power in people’s hands. Read some of my books and you’ll see … More Human in 2015 and Positive Populism in 2018. I’ve always believed that people, families, communities – and businesses – do better when they have the power to chart their own course. That means building a foundation of security and opportunity, and a framework of freedom. That’s what government should be doing, not bossing you around with endless rules, regulations and bureaucracy."

Brandon Jones (R)

Brandon Jones served in the U.S. Navy from 1998 to 2000. He earned a high school diploma from Indianola High School. His career experience includes working as an entrepreneur and affordable housing advocate.

Matt Mahan (D)

Matt Mahan is the Democratic Mayor of San Jose who has dramatically lowered the level of street homelessness, made his city the safest big city in America, and successfully focused on attracting middle-class jobs. He believes we can bring all Californians of good will together to address massive challenges like the cost of housing, energy, our budget deficit, homelessness and other pressing concerns. His overriding value is to put pragmatic and successful policies first so we can build abetter California together.

Daniel Mercuri (R)

Daniel Mercuri was born in Santa Ana, California. Mercuri served in the United States Navy from 1998 to 2003. He earned associate degrees in broadcast and communications from Los Angeles Valley College in 2006. Mercuri's career experience includes co-founding a production company and working as its CEO, as a partner and chief financial officer of a private investment group, an advertising professional, an author, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu professor, and a boxing coach. Mercuri has been affiliated with Veterans in Media and Entertainment (VME). "I’m a man who believes in putting America and Californian’s first! My journey into this swamp arena ‘We The People’ call politics, started back in 2019 when I first became a congressional candidate of California’s 25th District. After which I finally understood how the corruption moves behind the political spectrum and I couldn’t just walk away, not without one hell of a fight. I now know this evil cancer saturating within our representatives must be stopped. After fasting and heavy prayer, I stepped back into the political ring for the 2021 California ‘Recall’ election and later the 2022 Primary election as a gubernatorial candidate. The fight for my state is far from over.'

Katie Porter (D)

Katie Porter was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Porter earned a B.A. from Yale University in 1996 and a J.D. from Harvard University in 2001. Her career experience includes working as a law professor with the University of California at Irvine; a consumer and bankruptcy attorney with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the World Bank, the Federal Judicial Center, and the Uniform Law Commission; and a law clerk to Judge Richard S. Arnold of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Raji Rab (D)

Raji Rab's career experience includes working as an aviator, an educator, and an entrepreneur. "I am running for the office of Governor in the state of California to boost the economy, humanitarian, environmental, and peace issues, and to better serve Californians with progress and prosperity. I am an aviator, educator, and an entrepreneur, but above all, I am a caring humanitarian. I belong to a family of givers, take ethical behavior as personal. I believe diversity strengthens our environment and enriches the pursuit of happiness. People need better healthcare, subsidized housing, safety, cleaner environment, and affordable living. Heavy increases in rent, mortgage, gas, grocery, and APRs need reduction that is much overdue. Student debt must be deleted. Party politics has scorched us, setting divisions in our democracy. I will work with all sides, unite us on common grounds, boost our economy, and improve living standards with safety, peace, progress, and prosperity."

Jon Slavet (R)

Jon Slavet graduated from Milton Academy. He earned a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College. His career experience includes working as an entrepreneur. Jon Slavet is a proven business leader and civic entrepreneur delivering real results. From co-founding Guru.com to leading WeWork’s U.S. and Canada West operations, and serving as CEO of Sentral.com, he’s created jobs, driven innovation, and unlocked economic growth across California. He’s now the Co-Founder and Host of the State of Gold podcast — the definitive right-leaning media outlet that takes a hard look at California’s failures and brings in expert voices to detail the common-sense, conservative reforms needed to reclaim the Golden State. A father of five, Jon doesn’t talk about the future—he’s raising it.

George Slivka (D)

George Slivka was born in Norwalk, Connecticut. He graduated from Los Osos High School and attended California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. His career experience includes working as an activist.

Thomas Steyer (D)

Steyer was born in 1957 and grew up in New York City. He studied economics and political science at Yale University, graduating summa cum laude. After college, he worked on mergers and acquisitions for the investment bank Morgan Stanley. He went back to school to earn an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.After graduate school, Steyer worked for the New York investment bank Goldman Sachs and moved to San Francisco in 1986 to join the private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. He then started his own hedge fund, Farallon Capital Management, which he managed until 2012, when he retired to focus on political advocacy and philanthropy. In 2013, Steyer founded NextGen Climate. According to its website, NextGen Climate was formed "to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for all Americans." Steyer rebranded NextGen Climate as NextGen America in July 2017 to reflect a broader focus on opposition to President Donald Trump and support for a range of progressive policies. "This is a fight for the soul of American democracy and we have expanded our mission to meet the challenge at hand," he said.According to Investor's Business Daily, Steyer spent more money on the 2014 and 2016 elections—$73 million and approximately $100 million, respectively—than any other individual donor. In May 2016, Forbes listed Steyer at number 387 on its list of the 400 wealthiest people in the United States. He spent $74 million during the 2018 elections.

Eric Swalwell (D)

It's not something Democrats typically say about themselves, but Congressman Eric Swalwell was raised by Republicans. His father was a cop, and his mother ran a small business. They brought him into the world in Sac City, Iowa, then raised him in Dublin, California, the oldest of four boys. His childhood was about family, sports, and hard work – from running a paper route at the age of 10, to sanding and installing window frames as a teenager. A Division One soccer scholarship allowed him to become the first in his family to go to college. While attending the University of Maryland as an undergrad, Eric served as an intern on Capitol Hill for Representative Ellen Tauscher. After graduating from the University of Maryland School of Law, he became a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where he led the Hate Crimes Unit. In 2010, Eric was elected to be a city councilmember in his hometown of Dublin.

Nicholas Thompson (L)

Nicholas Thompson was born in Chico, California. He earned a high school diploma from Pleasant Valley High School. Profession: Activist "They'll tell you I'm too young. They'll say I lack "experience." Good. "Experience" in Sacramento is just a fancy word for knowing which lobbyists to pay off and how to write laws that sound good while robbing you blind. I haven't spent 20 years learning how to screw you over. I've spent 20 years living in the real world, with real issues that need real solutions. I still have the common sense they traded away for power."

Tony Thurmond (D)

Thurmond earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Temple University. He went on to earn his master's degree in social work and master's in law and social policy from Bryn Mawr College. Professionally, Thurmond has pursued a career in social work. At the time of his tenure, he was the youth education director at the Lincoln Child Center. He served on the Richmond City Council from 2005 to 2008 and as Council Liaison to Richmond’s Youth Commission and Workforce Investment Board and the Council Liaison to the West Contra Costa Unified School District. He was also a member of the California League of Cities Environmental Policy Committee and the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee. He was a Fellow in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Children and Family Fellowship program.Additionally, he served on the West Contra Costa County School Board from 2008 to 2012.

Antonio Villaraigosa (D)

A graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and People's College of Law, Villaraigosa worked as a union organizer after his graduation, working with the Service Employees International Union and United Teachers Los Angeles and serving as president of the American Federation of Government Employees and the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Villaraigosa was elected to the California State Assembly in 1994 and as the Speaker of the Assembly in 1997. He also worked in Los Angeles municipal government, winning election to the city council in 2003 and as mayor in 2005.

Butch Ware (G)

Ware was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, and a doctorate degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. Ware has worked as a professor at Northwestern University and Michigan University. As of August 2024, he worked as an associate professor teaching History, Black Studies, and Islamic Studies at the University of Santa Barbara. Ware said his, "teaching focuses on Islamic thought, anti-slavery movements in West Africa and the African Diaspora, and the broader intersection of Race, Religion, and Revolutionary Thought." He is the author of two books: Jihad of the Pen: The Sufi Literature of West Africa (2018) and The Walking Qur'an: Islamic Education, Embodied Knowledge, and History in West Africa (2014)

Betty Yee (D)

Prior to being elected controller, Yee was elected to the Board of Equalization in 2006 where she represented 21 counties in northern and central California. She was re-elected to a second term in 2010.Yee was first elected to the state controller's office on November 4, 2014. She was sworn into office on January 5, 2015, replacing term-limited predecessor John Chiang (D).

Michael Yonger (D)

Born in Central California and raised on the Monterey Peninsula, Michael Younger’s early life was shaped by adversity. Once a field laborer in the San Joaquin Valley, his single mother taught him resilience and the importance of equitable pay. As governor, he will be resolute in his mission to amplify the voices of the marginalized, bringing them to the forefront of California’s new chapter.

Leo Zacky (R)

Leo Zacky is a fourth-generation Californian who grew up believing this was the best place in the country to build a life. Raised in a family rooted in agriculture and business, he learned early that hard work, responsibility, and caring for the land matter. Over the years, he has watched rising costs, water mismanagement, and government overreach make it harder for families and businesses to stay. That’s why he’s running — so families can afford to stay, communities feel safe, government answers to the people, and the next generation doesn’t have to leave California to build a future. Not left. Not right. FORWARD.