The 2026 California governor race: Xavier Becerra vs. Steve Hilton
Active · last development Sep 25, 2026: “Xavier Becerra expands lead over Steve Hilton in California governor's race, poll shows”
What this arc covers
The race to succeed Gavin Newsom as California's governor: the decisions by Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla not to run, the field of candidates, including Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Matt Mahan and Eric Swalwell, and those who dropped out, including Eleni Kounalakis and Betty Yee, the canceled and contested debates, Trump's endorsement of Steve Hilton, the June 2026 primary that sent Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Hilton to the November election, and the general-election campaign.

Earliest story we hold Jul 30, 2025 · 22 stories · 77 independent sources (counted once each) · 422 days
Part of The 2026 governor races
- The 2026 Florida governor race: Byron Donalds vs. David JollyJun 5, 2025 – Sep 20, 2026
- The 2026 Wisconsin governor race: David Crowley vs. Tom TiffanyJul 24, 2025 – Aug 24, 2026
- The 2026 California governor race: Xavier Becerra vs. Steve HiltonThis arcJul 30, 2025 – Sep 25, 2026
- The 2026 South Carolina governor race and Alan Wilson's Republican primary winAug 4, 2025 – Jun 23, 2026
- The 2026 Pennsylvania governor race: Josh Shapiro vs. Stacy GarrityAug 18, 2025 – Sep 22, 2026
- The 2026 Minnesota governor race: Amy Klobuchar vs. Lisa DemuthSep 16, 2025 – Sep 21, 2026
- The 2026 Georgia governor race: Keisha Lance Bottoms vs. Rick JacksonSep 17, 2025 – Jun 17, 2026
- The 2026 Alabama governor race and Tommy Tuberville's bidNov 25, 2025 – Jul 14, 2026
Show remaining 8 arcs
- The 2026 Ohio governor race: Amy Acton vs. Vivek RamaswamyJan 17, 2025 – Sep 8, 2026
- The 2026 New York governor race: Kathy Hochul vs. Bruce BlakemanJun 2, 2025 – Sep 23, 2026
- The 2026 Arizona governor race: Katie Hobbs vs. Andy BiggsFeb 13 – Jul 30, 2026
- The 2026 Michigan governor race: Jocelyn Benson vs. John JamesMay 21 – Aug 19, 2026
- The 2026 Iowa governor race: Rob Sand vs. Zach LahnJun 3 – Aug 26, 2026
- The 2026 Maine governor race: Hannah Pingree vs. Bobby CharlesJun 19 – Sep 9, 2026
- The 2026 Colorado governor race: Phil Weiser vs. Victor MarxJul 1 – Jul 31, 2026
- The 2026 Rhode Island governor race: Helena Foulkes's primary defeat of Dan McKeeAug 26 – Sep 7, 2026
Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning
Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below
- Jul 30 – 31, 2025Former VP Kamala Harris says she will not be running for California governor next year74 articles · 47 independent sources
- Nov 19 – 20, 2025Tom Steyer Announces Run for California Governor30 articles · 21 independent sources
- Apr 6 – 7, 2026How Trump's endorsement of Steve Hilton impacts California governor's race34 articles · 22 independent sources
- Jun 2 – 10, 2026Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton advance in race for California governor; Both will face off in Nov. election51 articles · 26 independent sources
- Jun 2, 2026California Governor Primary Results: Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra Lead
- Jun 6, 2026Steve Hilton roasts Xavier Becerra with sitcom-style ad after Dem gov. candidate advances to runoff: ‘Is this a joke?’
- Jun 10, 2026Republican Steve Hilton advances in tight California governor’s race
- Jun 6, 2026Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to general election in race for California governor31 articles · 26 independent sources
Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side
LeftCenterRight
Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.
Every week as a table
| Week of | Left | Center | Right | Articles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2025 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 69 |
| Aug 4, 2025 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
| Oct 6, 2025 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Nov 3, 2025 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Nov 17, 2025 | 3 | 14 | 9 | 52 |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
| Mar 23, 2026 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
| Apr 6, 2026 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 33 |
| Apr 20, 2026 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Apr 27, 2026 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| May 25, 2026 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Jun 1, 2026 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 64 |
| Jun 8, 2026 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 33 |
| Jul 20, 2026 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 18 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.
26% left · 48% center · 26% right of 77 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 22 stories.
Every storyoldest first
July 2025
Jul 30– 31Former VP Kamala Harris says she will not be running for California governor next year74 articles · 47 independent sources8 left, 15 center, 10 rightAugust 2025
Aug 8Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis drops out of California governor’s race8 articles · 8 independent sources1 left, 6 center, 1 rightOctober 2025
Oct 8California governor candidate Katie Porter cuts off interview after testy Trump exchange5 articles · 5 independent sources0 left, 2 center, 2 rightNovember 2025
Nov 4– 5Sen. Alex Padilla says he won't run for governor of California, plans to remain in the Senate8 articles · 6 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 1 right- Nov 19– 20Tom Steyer Announces Run for California Governor30 articles · 21 independent sources1 left, 9 center, 6 right
- Nov 21Rep. Eric Swalwell announces run for California governor25 articles · 20 independent sources3 left, 7 center, 4 right
January 2026
Jan 29San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announces run for California governor13 articles · 10 independent sources1 left, 5 center, 2 rightMarch 2026
Mar 24– 25California governor debate canceled after criticism from candidates of color, lawmakers13 articles · 12 independent sources2 left, 4 center, 6 rightApril 2026
Apr 6– 7How Trump's endorsement of Steve Hilton impacts California governor's race34 articles · 22 independent sources3 left, 9 center, 6 right- Apr 20Democrat Betty Yee drops out of race for California governor8 articles · 5 independent sources1 left, 3 center, 1 right
- Apr 27– 29All 8 candidates for California governor clash in tense debate as Primary Election looms18 articles · 10 independent sources4 left, 4 center, 2 right
May 2026
May 28Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton lead the pack in the race for California governor, new poll shows6 articles · 3 independent sources0 left, 3 center, 0 rightJune 2026
Jun 1– 3California primary election results for key 2026 races including still-undecided match-ups for governor, LA mayor22 articles · 10 independent sources3 left, 5 center, 2 right- Jun 2– 10Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton advance in race for California governor; Both will face off in Nov. election51 articles · 26 independent sources3 left, 11 center, 7 right
- Jun 6Democrat Xavier Becerra advances to general election in race for California governor31 articles · 26 independent sources6 left, 9 center, 4 right
July 2026
Jul 22– 23Republican Hilton tells Californians they can hate Trump but still vote for him in governor’s race13 articles · 13 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 2 rightAugust 2026
Aug 7– 14Becerra holds strong lead over Hilton in race for California governor, new poll shows12 articles · 9 independent sources2 left, 3 center, 5 rightSeptember 2026
Sep 8CNN to host California gubernatorial debate ahead of November election12 articles · 12 independent sources1 left, 1 center, 2 right- Sep 8– 9Steve Hilton proposes abolishing California DMV, capping registration fees at $737 articles · 6 independent sources2 left, 4 center, 0 right
- Sep 17Steve Hilton vs. Becerra: Latest California Polls With 7 Weeks to Midterm2 articles · 2 independent sources0 left, 2 center, 0 right
- Sep 22– 23Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Brings $3 Gas to Goleta for Campaign Stop4 articles · 4 independent sources1 left, 2 center, 1 right
- Sep 25Xavier Becerra expands lead over Steve Hilton in California governor's race, poll shows4 articles · 4 independent sources0 left, 2 center, 2 right