guide to the california governor election


California will elect a new governor in 2026. The current situation regarding multiple candidates, recent withdrawals, and conflicting polls is creating a complicated landscape. California voters will soon decide who to support in the June 2nd open primary, where only the top 2 candidates will advance to the November general election. For more details, please see the background information below.

The race has seen dramatic changes in the past few weeks. These are likely to continue as we move into the active campaign season. The risk of Democrats being shut out of a general election spot is being debated without consensus. However, primaries can be low turnout elections and the biggest risk is California Dems staying home. They are at least 60% of CA voters and their high turnout will virtually assure one of our candidates will be a top 2 vote getter.

Volunteer turnout creates voter turnout…every time! Let’s GET OUT THE VOTE! There are several ways to help!

  • Phonebanks: Talking to voters about what is at stake in this election is the single most powerful tool we have.   Sign up below for these virtual events and bring voters to the polls! Full training is provided. We only talk to Democrats!

  •  Postcarding: We are writing to voters in historically low turnout areas.  There are several ways to postcard with us! We use a distribution system called Sincere with our partner Activate America. Note: the mailing deadline is May 20th.

    • If you already have your Sincere account, CA campaigns are now available.

    • If you are new to our 2026 postcarding team, please follow this link to join our team and open your Sincere account to request addresses.

    • For Marin postcarders: we now have 2 events

  • Social Media: Please promote the debates and the importance of voting to your circle

ELECTION INFORMATION: Quick Facts for the June 2, 2026, Primary Election   

DEBATE SCHEDULE

  •  Wednesday April 22 7 – 8 PM: “Debate Night in California: The Race for Governor”

    • Host: Nexstar SF KRON4 studio

    • Watch:

      • Local Television via Nexstar: San Francisco KRON4,  Sacramento KTXL FOX40, Fresno KSEE24/CBS47   Bakersfield KGET, Los AngelesKTLA5, San Diego FOX5/KUSI

      • Cable News simulcast: NewsNation

      • Livestream: The Hill

  • Tuesday, April 28th 5:30 – 7 PM: “2026 California Gubernatorial Debate”

    • Host: Pomona College/CBS News CA/Asian Pacific American Public Affairs

    • Watch: CBS Affiliates

      • Local Television: Los Angeles KCBS, KCAL, Bay Area KPIX, Sacramento KOVR, KMAX, San Diego KFMB,  Bakersfield KBAK, Palm Springs KPSP

      • Livestream: CBSLA.com, CBSSacramento.com, and KPIX.com

  • Tuesday, May 5th 6 – 8 PM: “A CNN SPECIAL EVENT: The California Governor Primary Debate”

    • Host: CNN with site tba in Los Angeles

    • Watch: CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and streaming for subscribers         

A NOTE ON ENDORSEMENTS: Many elected officials and civic organizations have endorsed a candidate. IndiMarin’s policy is not to endorse and focus on supporting general volunteer GOTV opportunities. The California Democratic Party (CADEM) and major voter outreach organizations hold the same position. We encourage volunteers to watch the upcoming debates to see where candidates stand on major issues and to contact a campaign if they are interested in volunteering for a single candidate.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The 2026 California governor race is the first significantly contested election for governor here in well over 20 years.  Previous cycles saw popular candidates like Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom, or an incumbent, win easily.  With Governor Newsom now terming out, there is a wide-open Democratic field in 2026.  Concurrently, the open primary system, initiated in 2010, is playing a role for the first time at the governor level.

In an open primary system (also called a jungle primary), political parties do not run separate primaries.  Instead, all declared candidates run against each other with only the top 2 advancing to the November general election.  Today, there is a concern that if the Democratic vote splits among the many Dem candidates without someone dominating the field and the Republicans split their votes among their 2 candidates, those 2 R’s could win the top spots.

The likelihood of this happening has been debated with no consensus of the risk, but many in the public are alarmed. The effects of recent withdrawals by Eric Swalwell and Betty Yee and Trump’s endorsement of one Republican candidate are still playing out. Polls are inconsistent.