California Governor's Race

California governor primary voters now have the official candidate list and ballot statements, while Trump’s endorsement of Steve Hilton and new polling math sharpen the top-two stakes as Democrats split across a crowded field. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Governor Candidate Statements | Official Voter Information Guide — California Secretary of State https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/candidates/g...

California governor race turnout is lagging before the June 2 primary, while candidates fight over affordability: single-payer without a funding plan, gas-price fixes, and Tom Steyer’s closing attack on corporate power. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Early ballot returns lag as governor’s race fails to energize voters – Los Angeles Wave Newspaper Group — Los Angeles Wave Newspaper Group https://...

California governor race voting is down to its final week with Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton and Tom Steyer leading polls, while Steyer’s record ad spending and fight with PG&E sharpen the stakes before the top-two primary. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Last-minute voter guide for California governor election - CalMatters — CalMatters https://calmatters.org/politics/elections/2026/05/last-minute...

Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra are virtually tied in a new California governor poll, with Tom Steyer still within reach and Matt Mahan fighting late campaign-finance questions as the June primary narrows. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Walters: Hilton and Becerra lead new poll for governor of California. Steyer is behind, but not out. — Mercury News https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/05/23/walter...

California governor campaigns are entering a rougher phase: Matt Mahan’s outside support is unwinding, Tom Steyer’s paid influencer push faces legal scrutiny, and Republicans used a Fresno debate and Chad Bianco’s water pitch to sharpen their case. In this episode: Top stories: 1. LIVE: Republican California Governor Debate - YouTube — KMPH FOX26 NEWS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmVeoo2w8go 2....

California governor candidates are closing the primary around affordability: Chad Bianco gets a KQED/PBS town hall, Katie Porter presses corporate-tax plans despite weak polling, and debate coverage shows housing, insurance and cost-of-living anxiety dominating the race. In this episode: Top stories: 1. California Gubernatorial Election Town Hall 2026 | Sheriff Chad Bianco | PBS — PBS https://www....

California governor’s race polling now has Steve Hilton at 22% and Xavier Becerra at 21%, signaling consolidation as Tom Steyer stalls, Chad Bianco loses GOP room, and YIMBY groups split over who can actually build housing. In this episode: Top stories: 1. California primary poll: who’s rising in key voter groups | Sacramento Bee — Sacramento Bee https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/cap...

California governor’s race polling puts Xavier Becerra ahead despite Tom Steyer’s ad barrage, while Steve Hilton consolidates Republicans around an affordability pitch—tightening the June top-two stakes for Democrats and the GOP’s outsider lane. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Hilton, Becerra in tightening race in final weeks of California governor's campaign - Los Angeles Times — Los Angeles Tim...

Becerra’s new frontrunner status is reshaping the closing primary stretch: rivals attacked his ethics, health-care realism, and Sacramento résumé, while Matt Mahan tries to turn Silicon Valley money into a governing case rather than a liability. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Everyone ganged up on Democrat Becerra in the last governor’s debate. He seemed to love it — CalMatters https://us.headto...

Xavier Becerra’s sudden rise has turned him into the race’s main target, with rivals using the final debate to test both his policy evasions and the Williamson corruption cloud. The top-two primary math makes even a narrow lead feel precarious. In this episode: Top stories: 1. CA governor candidates focus on corruption, abortion and climate in final debate — Sacramento Bee https://www.sacbee.com/n...

The Williamson corruption case moved from campaign liability to guilty plea just as Xavier Becerra, the Democratic front-runner, faced a final debate and intensifying scrutiny over how he handles hard questions. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Calmatters: Former Newsom Chief Of Staff Pleads Guilty To Scheme That Bled Money From Becerras Account — SFGate https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article...

Becerra’s campaign is colliding with the Dana Williamson corruption case just as rivals sharpen affordability pitches and voters hear sweeping promises on homelessness and housing that no governor can deliver alone. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Dana Williamson hearing could include plea deal in Sacramento | Sacramento Bee — Sacramento Bee https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol...

California’s governor race is tightening around Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra, while candidates face sharper pressure to explain how they would lower housing, health care, gas and homelessness costs without relying on slogans. In this episode: Top stories: 1. California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra addresses homeless spending, gas prices in KTLA interview — KTLA https://ktla.com/news/c...

California’s governor race is consolidating around the cost of living: housing, energy, gas and homelessness are now the policy battleground, while a fractured field leaves both parties trying to turn voter frustration into a June breakthrough. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Here’s How the Candidates for Governor Would Make California More Affordable — KQED https://www.kqed.org/news/12082915/her...

With voting already underway, the governor’s race is turning into a policy stress test: candidates are being pressed on immigration, healthcare, housing supply, billionaire taxes, tech money and whether Newsom will bless anyone at all. In this episode: Top stories: 1. California Governor Debate Focuses on Immigration — HSJ Chronicle https://hsjchronicle.com/california-governor-debate-healthcare-im...

The governor’s race turned from personality to price tags, with candidates pressed on high-speed rail, Medi-Cal eligibility, women’s sports and oil production, while the insurance crisis drew a technocratic pitch for regulation rooted in market experience. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Dem candidates make stunning debate pledges that’ll infuriate most Californians - AOL — AOL https://www.aol.co...

With ballots landing, the race is tightening around concrete tests: homelessness policy, Becerra’s sudden elevation, and whether Steyer’s endorsements or Mahan’s tech-funded moderation can translate money and validators into actual primary votes. In this episode: Top stories: 1. How will California’s next governor handle homelessness? - CalMatters — CalMatters https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/...

A new Democratic Party poll puts Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton atop a still-fractured governor’s race, just as CNN’s debate turned sharp with mail voting already underway. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Becerra Tied With Hilton for Lead in California Governor's Race: Poll — GV Wire https://gvwire.com/2026/05/05/becerra-tied-with-hilton-for-lead-in-california-governors-race-poll/ 2. Candidates...

As ballots arrive, California’s governor race is still unsettled: seven candidates head to a CNN debate, polls show no clear favorite, and endorsements, education fights and top-two math are sharpening the stakes. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Will Tuesday's California gubernatorial debate be 'calm' or 'a mess?' - AOL — AOL https://www.aol.com/articles/tuesdays-california-gubernatorial-debate-c...

Becerra’s health-care retreat and campaign-adjacent ethics questions are giving rivals new openings, while Steyer’s self-funded push and Chevron-money fights show how fast California’s governor’s race is becoming a test of money, trust, and purity politics. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Xavier Becerra Backpedals on Single Payer as He Woos Powerful Doctors’ Lobby | KQED — KQED https://www.kqed.o...

California’s unsettled governor’s race is being pulled between process panic and trust problems: Democrats are suddenly worried the top-two primary could backfire, while Becerra faces fresh scrutiny over campaign allies and rivals struggle to break through. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Political firm with ties to people accused of stealing from Xavier Becerra is supporting his bid for governor...

California’s governor’s race remains unsettled after another low-clarity debate, even as new polling tightens the top tier and candidates sharpen positions on housing, schools, and Hollywood jobs. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Another televised debate, another missed chance to clear up California’s unsettled governor’s race – Lake County Record-Bee — Lake County Record-Bee https://www.record-be...

California’s governor’s race is entering ballot season without a clear front-runner: new polling and a chaotic debate show a splintered field, while Tom Steyer’s anti-billionaire pitch and Matt Mahan’s moderate Silicon Valley lane sharpen the Democratic fight. In this episode: Top stories: 1. New poll shows the leading candidates in the Calif. governor's race — SFGATE https://www.sfgate.com/politi...

Xavier Becerra is turning Eric Swalwell’s collapse into momentum, rising in polls and adding Newsom-world operatives while Swalwell’s former donors seek refunds. The race is rapidly reorganizing around credibility, capacity and who can survive scrutiny before June. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Why Xavier Becerra is rising in the California governor’s race – KION Central Coast — CNN Newsource h...

Becerra is now the race’s gravitational center: newly flush with cash and endorsements, newly under attack, and facing fresh scrutiny over stolen campaign funds. Meanwhile, the field is hardening around back-to-back televised debates. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Becerra goes from bust to boom — Politico https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2026/04/27/becerra-goes-from-bust...