By Alexander J Schorr

Updated January 25 with an additional candidate.

January 20, 2026— As of January 2026, the race to succeed the term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom features a crowded field of candidates ahead of the June primary. California uses a nonpartisan blanket primary system, where the top two finishers regardless of party advance to the general election.

Who are the candidates? In alphabetical order, those who have launched campaigns so far include:

By Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2018 (Sacramento) – Republican fears of being shut-out of the gubernatorial race in California did not come to pass. The November run-off election will pit Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, against John Cox, a Republican businessman. 

The two have dramatically different visions for California's future, giving voters a clear choice.  Having a Republican on the top of the ticket is also expected to help the GOP with turnout in November, a factor that could help the party's down-ticket race candidates as well in California, a state dominated by Democrats who currently hold every statewide office and control both houses of the Legislature.