2026 California gubernatorial election

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2026 California gubernatorial election
November 3, 2026
Incumbent Governor; Gavin Newsom; Democratic	; ;

The 2026 California gubernatorial election will take place in the US state on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of California. The nonpartisan top-two primary election will take place on June 2, 2026. Incumbent Democratic governor Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term.

Over two dozen candidates have declared campaigns. Republicans have not won a statewide race in California since 2006 and have not held statewide office since 2011. While California is one of the most Democratic states in the nation, commentators have noted that its unique nonpartisan primary system has the potential to advance two Republicans to the general election due to the highly fragmented Democratic field. The California Democratic Party has urged low-polling Democratic candidates to drop out of the race to prevent this from happening.