Our View: Crazy went to crazier in governor's race
The June 2 primary campaign to select the top two candidates to replace termed-out California Gov. Gavin Newsom was already wide-open and crazy. But Democratic frontrunner Eric Swalwell's withdrawal amid an alleged sex scandal made it crazier.
This week, Swalwell suspended his campaign and resigned his Bay Area congressional seat as an increasing number of women accused him of sexual harassment and assault. Swalwell denies the accusations.
That left party leaders and supporters scrambling to reset the lineup and hold onto Democratic control of the governorship. With Swalwell out of the race, nine frontrunners remain. The two top vote-getters in the primary will face off in the Nov. 3 general election.
The frontrunners (in alphabetical order) are Xavier Becerra (D), former state attorney general; Chad Bianco (R), Riverside County sheriff; Steve Hilton (R), former Fox News conservative commentator; Matt Mahan (D), San Jose mayor; Katie Porter (D), former congresswoman; Tom Steyer (D), billionaire investor and environmental advocate; Tony Thurmond (D), state superintendent of public instruction; Antonio Villaraigosa (D), former Los Angeles mayor; and Betty Yee (D), former state controller.
But a total of 61 candidates for governor qualified to appear on the ballot. That still includes Swalwell, who qualified before dropping out. The entire roster will split the June vote in unpredictable ways. It's anyone's guess which will survive and benefit from Swalwell's departure.
It's possible the two Republicans could end up in the November runoff. Californians have not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. Nearly half of the state's registered voters are Democrats, with only 25% Republicans, 22% declining to state, and the remainder registered with minor parties.
A mid-March poll released by UC Berkeley's Institute of Government Studies showed then-candidate Swalwell and Porter each supported by 13% of likely voters, with Steyer following closely behind. The two Republicans, Hilton and Bianco, led the pack with 17% and 16%, respectively. Neither state political party has endorsed in the race. President Trump recently endorsed Hilton.
The Californian will not make a candidate recommendation in the primary in this constantly changing race. The newspaper's candidate recommendations, which are published in the Opinion section, are not intended to tell readers how to vote. Rather, they are to encourage voting and provide commentary to help inform voters.
Voters must decide: Should the next governor have experience governing? Does success in business equate to success in public service? Are name recognition and fame qualifying? Who can best lead California into the future? Two upcoming debates may help answer those questions.
On Wednesday, April 22, starting at 7 p.m., Nexstar Media Group will host a candidate debate that will air across the company's California TV stations, including Bakersfield's KGET-17; air nationally on Nexstar's cable news outlet NewsNation; and be livestreamed over its political website, the Hill.
The event, which will originate from TV station KRON in San Francisco, will be moderated by Nikki Laurenzo, news anchor at KTXL and host of its public affairs program "Inside California Politics," and Frank Buckley, morning news anchor at KTLA. It will include candidates Bianco, Hilton, Porter and Steyer, who reached a minimum of 5% support in Nexstar's statewide poll conducted in March.
On May 5, CNN will host a two-hour debate at 6 p.m. in Los Angeles. CNN anchors Elex Michaelson and Kaitlan Collins will moderate. The debate will air live across CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and, for viewers without cable, on CNN's subscription streaming service.
Participating candidates must have at least 3% support among likely primary voters in two state polls or an average of 3% across two polls that meet CNN's methodology standards. The polls must be released between Feb. 1 and April 27. The candidates must also have raised, contributed or lent to their campaigns at least $1 million, based on publicly available data from the California Secretary of State.
CNN typically does not broadcast state candidate debates. But network officials explained California's contest reflects serious nationwide concerns.
Kern County voters are urged to take the governor's primary race as seriously. Give all candidates thoughtful consideration. Vote as if California's future depends on it - because it does.
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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 5:09 AM.