Draft. Last updated 2026-10-17. This contest is still being reviewed.
Governor
State
1 seat 2026-11-03
All Fullerton voters. This is a statewide office, so every voter in the city of Fullerton votes in this contest on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
What this office does
The governor is California's chief executive officer: the office oversees most state departments and agencies, appoints judges, proposes new laws, approves or vetoes legislation, submits the annual state budget to the Legislature, and mobilizes state resources during emergencies.
That puts the office in charge of the departments that set the rules and rates households deal with, from utilities and insurance regulation to housing programs, schools and health care. KQED puts the annual state budget at about $350 billion and reports that the next governor will face a projected structural deficit of about $35 billion.S2S6
Contest context
Two candidates qualified for this contest. Xavier Becerra, Democratic, and Steve Hilton, Republican, advanced from California's June 2, 2026 top two primary, in which all candidates run on one ballot regardless of party and the two highest vote getters move on; USA TODAY reports Becerra finished first with 28 percent and Hilton second with 24.6 percent. The Secretary of State's certified list names both as the Governor candidates for November 3, 2026.S1S16
The two nominees are competing to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom, who is not on this ballot.S6
The office is the state's highest elected post. CalMatters describes the governor as the most powerful elected official in the nation's most populous state, commanding a roughly $300 billion budget, shaping policy for 39 million residents, signing or vetoing legislation, appointing judges and members of regulatory agencies, and leading crisis response from wildfires to pandemics.S5
KQED reports the next governor will inherit a projected structural deficit of about $35 billion within a few years and a federal administration that has clashed with the state, on top of high housing and gasoline prices, homelessness and wildfire risk.S6
Neither candidate submitted a statement for the Secretary of State's Official Voter Information Guide. That guide's Governor candidate statements page lists Xavier Becerra, Democratic, and Steve Hilton, Republican, each with no candidate statement, so neither has a guide statement to summarize here.S2
Candidate order on this page follows the order in the Secretary of State's certified list.S1
Candidates
Listed in ballot order. Candidates are described with the same sections and level of detail; no ranking or endorsement is implied.
Xavier Becerra
DemocraticVoting Rights Attorney
Bio
The Secretary of State's certified list prints his party preference as Democratic and his ballot designation as Voting Rights Attorney.S1
Represented Los Angeles in Congress for more than two decades before he was appointed California attorney general in 2017, where he led the state's lawsuits against the first Trump administration.S5
Served as U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden, where he steered the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and drew criticism over the agency's care of migrant children in its custody.S5
CalMatters describes his career path as state assemblymember, congressman, California attorney general and U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services.S7
His campaign website presents him as running on health care, housing, cost of living, energy, disaster preparedness, homelessness and artificial intelligence.S8
Record in office
As California attorney general his office sued the first Trump administration more than 120 times, including cases that protected the Affordable Care Act, immigrants brought to the country as children, and the state's sanctuary immigration law.S5S6S7
Among those cases, his office secured a ruling that halted a Westlands Water District backed effort to raise Shasta Dam and contested a federal proposal that state officials said would harm salmon and other species.S7
He voted for Proposition 36, the 2024 measure that increased penalties for some drug and theft crimes, breaking with Governor Gavin Newsom and the state Democratic Party on that measure.S5
His campaign says he sued the first Trump administration 122 times, a figure attributed here to the campaign.S8
Positions
Cost of living
Says he will declare a state of emergency to freeze insurance and utility rates, crack down on what he calls price gouging, and use state power to lower prices where the market has failed; also says he wants to give low-income families two free hours of electricity daily.S5S6S8
Taxes
Supports a progressive income tax and the proposal to extend a higher tax rate on high earners to pay for schools; opposes Proposition 40, the billionaire wealth tax on the November 2026 ballot; has not ruled out raising taxes and says he wants to tax corporations whose workers are paid so little they qualify for public health care.S5S6
Housing
Says he would declare a state of emergency and use state resources to finance 40,000 units of already approved affordable housing, push cities to zone more land for apartments, duplexes and condos, pressure cities that block building, expand the state down payment assistance program for homebuyers, and pursue policies to stop large corporations from buying homes in bulk.S5
Homelessness
Says he would create an ongoing state funding stream for rental assistance and services that keep people from becoming homeless, launch a public dashboard tracking units paid for with state money, and use state money to keep financially unstable people in their homes rather than paying more to house them after they become homeless; says that voluntarily staying on the street after shelter is offered is not acceptable to him, but stopped short of saying those people would face arrest.S5S6
Health care
Says health care is a human right and that he would strengthen Medi-Cal, cut insurance companies' administrative spending, order insurers to cover more telehealth appointments, start a state fund to recruit and retain health care workers, and build toward a universal single payer system; as a candidate he supports expanding state coverage as far as possible rather than pursuing single payer immediately.S5S8
Environment and energy
Says he supports the state's clean energy transition goals but is open to revising them if they make gas and energy unaffordable, specifically naming the state rule that bans sales of new gas cars by 2035.S5
Public safety
Voted for Proposition 36, the 2024 measure that increased penalties for some drug and theft crimes, breaking with Governor Gavin Newsom and the state Democratic Party, and says he would fully fund its provisions and make sure defendants get court ordered drug treatment as an alternative to jail; he has not backed longer or stricter criminal sentences in general, saying those sentencing decisions belong with judges.S5
Immigration
Supports California's sanctuary law and defended it in court during the first Trump administration; says he would take a similar approach to immigration as governor as he did as attorney general.S5S6
Water
Has not published a detailed water plan and his campaign website carries no specific water policy; a campaign spokesperson said he would bring everyone to the table to modernize water infrastructure, guarantee safe and affordable drinking water, give farms and businesses a reliable supply, and prepare for wet and dry years; at forums he has said the state has an obligation to be the big investor in storage, conveyance, conservation and distribution, that groundwater rules are necessary even if they can be trimmed, and that nothing, including the Delta Conveyance Project, is off the table before examination.S7
Education
Has not released any major education policy proposals, so no position is recorded here for this candidate; CalMatters lists education as a topic on which he has not published a plan, while his campaign priorities page covers health care, housing, cost of living, energy, disaster preparedness, homelessness, artificial intelligence and the film industry.S5S8
Other
Says he supports the state banning social media for children under 16, wants California to track the economic and workforce effects of artificial intelligence, would require artificial intelligence developers to be transparent about how the technology is used in employment decisions, and wants to use artificial intelligence to make government more efficient.S5
Endorsements
California Faculty Association, Equality California and Planned Parenthood California are listed in the CalMatters voter guide as endorsing him.S5
KQED's voter guide lists Kamala Harris, former vice president, Gavin Newsom, California governor, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and SEIU California among his supporters.S6
His campaign website lists supporting organizations including the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Medical Association, California YIMBY, CHIRLA Action Fund, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association and the California Trucking Association.S9
His campaign website also lists labor endorsements including the California Teachers Association, California Faculty Association, SEIU California, AFSCME California, the California Professional Firefighters, the California School Employees Association, the California State Council of Laborers and the Statewide Law Enforcement Association.S9
Aggregated unitemized contributions$1,925,513Cycle total of donations below the itemization threshold, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
California Association of Health Facilities PAC$156,800Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
California State Council of Laborers PAC$93,900Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
California State Pipe Trades Council PAC$93,900Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Southern California District Council of Laborers PAC$86,200Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
United Nurses Associations of California / Union of Health Care Professionals PAC$85,700Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Pechanga Band of Indians$83,800Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation$83,800Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
AltaMed Health Services Corp$78,400Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Andrew Schwartzberg$78,400Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
The totals and donors here are for the candidate's own committee, BECERRA FOR GOVERNOR 2026 (Cal-Access filer ID 1480025). Spending by separate committees that support or oppose candidates is reported on a different schedule and is not included.
What this could mean for your household
Homeowners and renters: he says he would declare a state of emergency to freeze insurance and utility rates and would use state money to fund 40,000 already approved affordable units.S5S8
Homebuyers: he supports expanding the state's down payment assistance program and would push cities to allow more apartments, duplexes and condos.S5
W-2 earners: he supports the proposal to extend a higher tax rate on high earners to pay for schools, has not ruled out raising taxes, and opposes the billionaire wealth tax on the November ballot.S5S6
Small business owners: he says he wants to tax corporations whose workers are paid so little that they qualify for public health care, and his campaign lists the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Trucking Association as supporters.S5S9
The Secretary of State's certified list prints his party preference as Republican and his ballot designation as Small Business Owner.S1
He is British American and served as a senior adviser to former conservative United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2012 before moving to California, where he co-founded a Silicon Valley political crowdfunding platform.S5
He has written books about decentralizing power in bureaucratic institutions and hosted a weekly show on Fox News from 2017 to 2023.S5
His campaign biography says he was born in London to Hungarian immigrant parents, studied at Oxford, taught at Stanford, built businesses, hosted The Next Revolution on Fox News and launched Golden Together.S11
CalMatters reports that he moved to California permanently in 2012 and settled in Atherton.S7
Record in office
He has not held elected office, so there is no legislative or council voting record for him; his public roles are the ones listed in his biography, including adviser to the United Kingdom prime minister from 2010 to 2012 and a Fox News host from 2017 to 2023.S5S11
He wrote a water policy strategy in 2024 with Edward Ring of the California Policy Center, titled Achieving Water Abundance, which he has cited in the governor's race.S7
He launched the organization Golden Together before running for governor, according to his campaign biography.S11
Positions
Taxes
Wants to eliminate state income tax on the first $150,000 of a Californian's earnings and make income tax a flat rate above that, halve the gas tax, and abolish the $800 annual fee for registering a company; opposes Proposition 40, the billionaire wealth tax on the November 2026 ballot.S5S10
Cost of living
Promises gasoline at $3.00 a gallon and to cut electricity bills in half by eliminating state climate programs he says raise energy costs.S6S10
Economy and jobs
Says cutting taxes, spending and regulations will grow the economy and reduce unemployment; his plan says he would cut what it calls $745 billion in waste from the state budget, and he has proposed ending the high speed rail project and cutting tens of thousands of state government jobs.S6S10
Environment and energy
Wants to roll back state climate rules that mandate a transition to clean energy and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, end rules requiring utilities and businesses to buy solar and wind power, allow more natural gas production, and run a volunteer tree planting and forest restoration program.S5
Housing
Says he wants to bring back the starter home by cutting fees and building regulations on smaller single family homes and creating a state loan program for first time buyers; says he would stop people, companies and unions from using the California Environmental Quality Act to sue to stop construction, and favors suburban development over denser city apartment projects.S5
Homelessness
Says camping on the street is illegal and that he would involve police in clearing all encampments, wants state funding for sober housing rather than only low barrier shelters that accept people regardless of sobriety, and says he would overhaul state homelessness spending.S5
Public safety
Says he would reopen closed state prisons, reduce early release based on good conduct, expand prison rehabilitation programs, loosen restrictions in the state anti discrimination law that he says prevent police from stopping people on the street, overturn the state sanctuary law, and reduce restrictions on owning and using firearms.S5
Immigration
Wants to overturn California's sanctuary law that limits police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and to end state funded health coverage for undocumented immigrants.S5
Health care
His main health care proposal is to end state provided Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented immigrants and redirect that money to lower health care costs for legal residents; he says he wants more competition by allowing more insurers into the market and preventing consolidation among providers, without having proposed specific policies for it.S5
Education
Supports phonics instruction and holding back third graders who are not reading proficient at grade level, making it easier for districts to fire teachers, letting parents petition to convert schools to charters, and using public funds so parents in underperforming districts can send children to private schools or other districts; he opposes the state law that lets transgender youth compete on school sports teams they choose.S5S10
Water
Wants more storage, desalination, recycling and conveyance, less regulation protecting endangered species in water delivery, more state money to cut water bills, and he backs building Sites Reservoir and raising Shasta Dam while opposing the Delta Conveyance Project; he says he would rebalance the system toward agriculture and domestic use and away from a narrow focus on a couple of fish species.S7
Other
Has expressed concern about children using social media and about artificial intelligence increasing wealth inequality, but has declined to back regulations or bans and wants to reduce regulations to keep the artificial intelligence industry growing in California; he says he wants to encourage, without legislation, a society where no child under 16 uses a smartphone.S5
Endorsements
President Donald Trump, the California Republican Party and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC are listed in KQED's voter guide as supporting him.S6
The California Republican Party's published endorsement list names Steve Hilton for Governor, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC publishes him as its endorsed candidate for Governor.S14S15
The CalMatters voter guide lists President Donald Trump, the Nisei Farmers League and the Israeli-American Civic Action Network as endorsing him.S5
KQED's voter guide also lists Jack Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, among his supporters.S6
No endorsement list was found on his campaign website's plan and biography pages; the endorsements recorded here come from the endorsing organizations and from third party voter guides.S10S11
Aggregated unitemized contributions, reported as a single category$3,375,442Cycle total of donations below the itemization threshold, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Steve Hilton$90,100Cycle total of contributions from the candidate to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Andrea Friese$78,400Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Donald Friese$78,400Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Michael Chunhan$78,400Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Thomas C Saunders$78,400Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Timothy Draper$78,400Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Tae Yun Kim$78,300Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Ellis Jones$78,200Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
Paul Newman$78,200Cycle total of contributions to the committee, Cal-Access filings republished by Transparency USA
The totals and donors here are for the candidate's own committee, HILTON FOR GOVERNOR 2026; STEVE (Cal-Access filer ID 1480425). Spending by separate committees that support or oppose candidates is reported on a different schedule and is not included. His Cal-Access summary also lists a $100,000 loan from Stephen Hilton.
What this could mean for your household
W-2 earners: he wants to end state income tax on the first $150,000 of earnings and use a flat rate above that, which the state would have to fund by cutting spending.S5S6S10
Homeowners and drivers: he says he would halve the gas tax, cut electricity bills in half by ending climate programs, and cut development fees to bring back smaller starter homes.S5S6S10
Renters and first time buyers: he proposes a state loan program for first time buyers and favors suburban single family development over denser apartment projects.S5
Small business owners: he says he would abolish the $800 annual fee for registering a company and reduce regulations on businesses and employers.S5S10