As Gavin Newsom’s term comes to an end, a race has kicked off and we as Californians elect a new governor for the state. Newsom is a divisive figure, likely to remain in politics long after he leaves the Golden State as a hopeful Presidential nominee, and either often cited as ‘okay’ to ‘abhorrant’ as a governor. 

Now, with an educational funding and quality crisis looming over the state, and of course our classic Californian special of homelessness and sheer expense in both energy and homes, a new set of hopefuls enter the race to make the Golden State a little more akin to their vision. 

Currently, as of April 28th, 2026, according to YouGov Polling, Steve Hilton (R) leads the race with a 16% vote share, followed closely by Tom Steyer (D) in second with 15%,  Xavier Becerra (D) in third with 13%, and Chad Bianco (R) in fourth with 10%. Emerson College, meanwhile, also sits Hilton in first with 17% of the vote share, seats Bianco in a close second with 14% and Steyer with 14%. (Though it is very important to remember that 26% of those polled were still undecided) 

Hosted on April 28th by CBS was the most recent gubernatorial debate between the top eight candidates, where they duked it out on pressing issues affecting all Californians to hopefully sway voters, and subsequently seven of them qualified for CNN’s debate on May 5th. Listed in order of polling percentages, the candidates’ general backgrounds, according to mainstream media, is given below. 

Steve Hilton. 

• A former Fox News host and the Republican frontrunner, while currently enjoying a vote majority in all polling. He cites Democratic ineptitude in the state of California, campaigning on reducing taxes and touting his experience as a British immigrant who’s worked for conservative governments, such as under Margaret Thatcher and was endorsed by Trump. 

Tom Steyer. 

• The only billionaire in the race and currently the Democratic frontrunner. Spending over a 100 million on his campaign, vastly more than any other candidate, he proclaims to be a progressive outsider to the system, focused on affordability and citing his previous collaboration with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. 

Xavier Becerra. 

• A former health and human services secretary under President Joe Biden, he claims to be a ‘healthcare governor’, differentiating himself from Steyer by pointing to his roots in the middle class. 

Chad Bianco. 

• The Riverside County Sheriff and the only other Republican in the race. He also cites Sacramento’s incompetence, alluding to his experience in law enforcement and crime to complain about California’s ever degrading safety net. He has faced recent controversy, however, after seizing 650,000 ballots cast in November last year for Prop. 50, gerrymandering our congressional map in response to Republican action in Texas.  

Katie Porter. 

• Until recently she looked primed to be the Democratic nominee, focusing on affordability through more construction, however recent controversies surrounding her treatment of a staffer on video have resurfaced, hampering her popularity as she vehemently apologizes for it. 

Matt Mahan. 

• The Mayor of San Jose, Mahan positions himself as a more ‘Moderate’ Democrat against the other candidates, focused on affordability through housing and vowing not to impose taxes on new housing for two years. He’s the most recent candidate to enter the race. 

Antonio Villariagosa. 

• Former LA Mayor, running a second bid for Governor with a focus on building affordable housing and energy infrastructure. 

Tony Thurmond. 

• California State Superintendent of Public Instruction and currently in last place in the polls amongst the ‘Big Eight’

The candidates were asked a plethora of questions, mostly targeted at affordability and on contending with the Trump Administration. Relevant to students at SRV and our generation in general, a student at Pomona College asked a very important question: 

“Students are graduating with a tremendous amount of debt in a state with no hope. There are no jobs, and people are leaving. As Governor, what steps would you take to tackle the rising cost of education and bring jobs back to the state of California?” 

Thurmond proposed a “Pay it Back” program, where a student’s college education is free for four years and once they’ve joined the workforce, the program would take some of their income and pay their free education back. 

Later, with regards to general education, where institutions in California have been chronically underfunded and forced to cut costs, the candidates levied their own solutions. 

Mahan proposed cutting ‘overhead’ administrative costs and returning those funds to teachers, while rewarding teachers with good students and intervening and ‘coaching’ teachers who’ve found less success. 

Steyer corroborated Mahan’s focus on teachers, proposing to hire and recruit more qualified and professional teachers with money he would capture from “closing a corporate real estate tax loophole”

Thurmond called for California, which still distributes funding out to schools based on attendance, to switch to enrollment based funding in conjunction with most of the country, relieving strain from school districts.

CBS would then, in their infinite wisdom, cut the segment prematurely and run a commercial break before all the candidates could respond. 

Tackling the most blatant issue in our state, affordability, Bianco and Hilton both attacked the democratic supermajority for failing the state, promising fiscally conservative measures in order to remedy issues like the housing crisis. 

Tom Steyer, when asked about housing, proposed the “Silver Buckshot” solution, where the cost of permitting would be lowered and legislation to redo Californian zoning laws. Porter, somewhat similarly to Steyer, plans to target inefficiencies within Californian agencies which prevent housing from being built. 

Perhaps the most divisive issue, especially among the Democratic candidates, is the gas tax and its continuation, a hotly contested issue among the public. Mahan specifically pledged to suspend and reform the gas tax, meanwhile Becerra adamantly opposed cutting the gas tax. Thurmond, Bianco and Hilton supported suspending the gas tax, while Steyer, Porter and Villariagosa opposed it. 

A lot more was said on the debate floor, and a whole lot more discussion is yet to come before the jungle primary kicks off in June, where the top two candidates, regardless of party, will move forward to a general election. It’s a race to pay attention to, despite many of us not being able to vote in it, and one that’ll impact the lives of all Californians for years to come. Make your own opinions, be politically active and minded, and discuss and debate with those in your life who can vote, as every vote counts.