California voters will head to the polls on June 2 to choose their next governor, with in-person voting and vote-by-mail options available statewide. Here’s what voters need to know ahead of the primary.
Ballots were mailed to registered voters starting May 4. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted. Polling places statewide will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 2.
Californians who missed the May 18 registration deadline can still register through the state’s Conditional Voter Registration process, also known as Same Day Voter Registration. Check if you’re registered to vote here.
Drop-off ballots are located in most city halls and public libraries in the Coachella Valley. Drop-off voting locations are open from May 4 until Election Day. Early polling sites are open starting May 30. Find your polling place here or call the voter hotline (800) 345-8683.
The top seven primary candidates:
Xavier Becerra (D)
Born and raised in California to Mexican immigrant parents, Becerra has been politically serving California for 35 years. He started by serving in the California State Assembly and later represented congressional districts in the Los Angeles area. He is mostly known as a former attorney general and U.S Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Biden administration.
Becerra has listed health care as his top priority, encouraging a more efficient system by cutting administrative spending while protecting existing programs. He has vowed to lead against President Trump, build more affordable housing, and provide mental health intervention to the homeless. Becerras has also stated his commitment to providing cleaner energy at a low cost.
Key Endorsements:
Planned Parenthood California
California Faculty Association
Equality California
Tom Steyer (D)
Born and raised in the Upper East Side to white, educated parents.
Steyer is a billionaire investor and philanthropist. He gained his riches by founding a hedge fund and gained popularity by leading the Need to Impeach campaign against Donald Trump during his first presidency. Steyer also founded a nonprofit, Beneficial State Bank, and is known for his 2020 presidential campaign.
Steyer’s most adamantly shared concern is the housing crisis. He claims to aim for one million new homes while reducing the cost of living. Steyer is also known as the billionaire who wants to tax billionaires and corporations by closing the tax loopholes. He also supports a single-payer system to reduce costs and expand access to health care.
Key Endorsements:
California Teachers Association
California Nurses Association
California Environmental Voters
Steve Hilton (R)
Born and raised in London to Hungarian refugee parents.
Hilton and his family migrated to the U.S in 2012. He is famously known as a former FOX News commentator and senior adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron.
Hilton’s mission includes improving public schools by creating a stricter system that allows the removal of incompetent teachers and heightens student expectations. He also advocates lowering gas prices by suspending environmental regulations and building on undeveloped land for more suburban single-family homes. Hilton agrees to increase oil and gas production despite current climate goals and aims to give income tax breaks to all Californians.
Key Endorsements:
President Donald Trump
Israeuli-American Civic Action Network
Nisei Farmers League
Katie Porter (D)
Born and raised in Iowa to farmer parents.
Porter is a former Orange County congressmember who had flipped the Republican congressional seat out of concern for Trump, becoming the first Democrat representative in 75 years. She is a single mom of three and a law professor at UC Irvine.
Porter’s goals include lowering housing costs by enforcing housing laws related to certificates of occupancy and mitigating construction project delays. She also promotes providing free child care for all and a single-payer health care system. She is openly against the Trump administration and presses for the removal of ICE and federal law enforcement occupation.
Key Endorsements:
EMILY’s List
Teamsters California
California Environmental Voters
Matt Mahan (D)
Born and raised in California to working-class parents.
Mahan is currently the mayor of San Jose. He is a former middle school teacher and soccer coach. He claims his relationship with Mark Zuckerberg influenced his career change as a tech entrepreneur and that he co-founded the world’s first nonpartisan voter network, Brigade.
Mahan is known to prioritize addressing the housing crisis and aiding the homeless with city funds. He is also an advocate for AI and AI literacy, and he has helped enforce the AI for All program in San Jose. Mahan opposes new taxes, aims to reduce administrative spending in health care departments, and intends to temporarily suspend the gas tax while supporting pay-for-performance bureaucratic pay.
Key Endorsements:
Thrive LA
Chad Bianco (R)
Born and raised on an Air Force Base in Utah to blue-collar parents.
Bianco has been a veteran law enforcement officer for over 30 years and is currently the Sheriff of Riverside County.
For Bianco, public safety is his top priority as he continuously defends law enforcement funding and pushes for adequate recruitment and training. He intends to restore and strengthen penalties for repeated offenders, promising to hold more people accountable for their crimes. Bianco also aims to suspend environmental state regulations and overturn state sanctuary laws to boost oil and gas production. His plan is to eliminate the California Environmental Quality Act and place cuts and regulations on hospitals to lower the cost of living.
Key Endorsements:
California Rifle and Pistol Association
California Republican Assembly
Peace Officers Research Association of California
Antonio Villaraigosa (D)
Born and raised in Los Angeles to a single mother of Mexican descent.
Vallaraigosa is the former first Latino mayor of Los Angeles and leader of the California Assembly. He is known for expanding the police force and placing taxes on public transportation.
Villaraigosa lists lowering gas prices and protecting the refining industry as his top priorities. He supports in-state oil and gas production and agrees to suspend climate regulations to lower costs. Villaraigosa is an advocate for health care for all, regardless of immigration status, and has also agreed to sign an emergency executive order on his first day in office to cooperate with ICE once adequate training is in place.
Key Endorsements:
Peace Officers Research Association of California
California Federation of Labor Unions
Building and Construction Trades Council of California
The winning candidate of the June primary will advance to the November general election, where California’s next governor will be chosen. For more information on voting, visit the California Secretary of State’s website or contact your local elections office.
