California Primary Election - June 2, 2026

About This Race

The California primary election for voter-nominated offices will be held on June 2, 2026. Key deadlines include voter registration by May 18, early voting from May 4 through Election Day, and certification of results by July 10. This election determines candidates for U.S. House, State Senate, and State Assembly offices who will advance to the general election.

Candidates

Important Dates

Election Date: June 2, 2026
Registration Deadline: May 18, 2026
Early Voting Starts: May 4, 2026
Early Voting Ends: June 2, 2026

How to Vote

Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by June 2 and received by county elections offices. Early voting sites open May 4. Same-day registration is available May 19–June 2. Voters can check status and find drop-off locations at https://caearlyvoting.sos.ca.gov/

Democratic

Antonio Villaraigosa

Governor

Biography

Villaraigosa served as mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. He previously served on the Los Angeles City Council from 2003 to 2005 and in the California Assembly from 1994 to 2000. From 1998 to 2000, Villaraigosa served as speaker of the Assembly.

California gubernatorial election, 2026

Governor

No biography available for this candidate yet.

Republican

Chad Bianco

Governor

Biography

Bianco was elected Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator of Riverside County in 2018. He had worked at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for 26 years before assuming office as sheriff-coroner-public administrator.

Democratic

Eric Swalwell

Governor

Biography

Swalwell was first elected to the U.S. House in 2012. He previously served on the Dublin City Council from 2010 to 2013 and worked as a prosecutor and deputy district attorney in Alameda County.

Democratic

Katie Porter

Governor

Biography

Porter served in the U.S. House from 2019 to 2025. She previously worked as a law professor and a consumer and bankruptcy attorney.

Democratic

Matt Mahan

Governor

Biography

Matt Mahan was first elected mayor of San Jose in 2022. He previously served on the San Jose City Council from 2021 to 2023. In 2014, Mahan founded Brigade, which, according to his campaign website, is 'the world’s first voter network.'

Republican

Steve Hilton

Governor

Biography

Hilton is a Fox News Channel contributor who hosted The Next Revolution on the network from 2017 to 2023. He previously worked as a senior advisor to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and an advertising executive.

Democratic

Thomas Steyer

Governor

Biography

Steyer founded the hedge fund Farallon Capital Management in 1986 and managed it until 2012. In 2013, Steyer founded NextGen America, which seeks to 'educate and empower young people to organize, vote, and lead.' Steyer also ran in the 2020 presidential election before suspending his campaign on Feb. 29, 2020.

Democratic

Xavier Becerra

Governor

Biography

Xavier Becerra served as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as attorney general of California from 2017 to 2021, and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017.

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