Find the races tied to where you vote.
Raymond's Ballot starts with a state and county map, then uses a residential address to ask Google Civic for the contests available for that ballot. Static candidate guides, like the California governor comparison below, are supplemental context for major races.
California's June 2, 2026 primary is the most consequential gubernatorial contest in a generation. Because California uses a top-two primary, the two highest finishers — regardless of party — advance to November. We profile the leading Democrats and Republicans on the same eight issues so you can compare them apples-to-apples instead of soundbite to soundbite.
One framework, applied to every candidate.
Each candidate was scored on the same eight issues using a five-step stance scale: strongly opposes, opposes, mixed, supports, strongly supports. Scores were drawn from voting records, official campaign positions, and on-the-record statements in California political coverage.
Where a candidate has shifted on an issue, the most recent stated position is recorded — with the historical context noted in the detail text rather than allowed to swing the score.
- Housing & Cost of Living
- Homelessness
- Climate & Environment
- Healthcare
- Education
- Public Safety
- Immigration
- Economy & Taxes
Who's in this comparison
We profile every Democrat and Republican who qualified for the May 5, 2026 CNN gubernatorial debate, plus Tony Thurmond. Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign on April 12, 2026 and Betty Yee suspended hers on April 20. The June 2, 2026 ballot includes 61 total candidates, most of whom are minor and not profiled here.
- DEMKatie Porter — Former U.S. Representative (CA-47)
- DEMTom Steyer — Founder, NextGen America
- DEMXavier Becerra — Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
- DEMAntonio Villaraigosa — Former Mayor of Los Angeles
- DEMMatt Mahan — Mayor of San Jose
- DEMTony Thurmond — California Superintendent of Public Instruction
- REPSteve Hilton — Fox News contributor; founder, Golden Together
- REPChad Bianco — Sheriff of Riverside County
Polling averages and fundraising totals on this prototype are illustrative placeholders. Before publication, replace them with weighted averages from Berkeley IGS, PPIC, and the Public Policy Institute of California, and with cumulative receipts pulled from Cal-Access.
Each issue position should be updated as the campaign progresses, and new candidates should be added to data/candidates.ts using the existing schema.
Candidate portraits are sourced from Wikimedia Commons. Each candidate's profile page lists the original credit (campaign portrait, official government portrait, etc.) per the project's licensing terms.
California's primary for Governor is June 2, 2026. Mail ballots are sent in early May. Confirm your registration at registertovote.ca.gov and find your polling place at sos.ca.gov.