The Dagmar Perspective

California has what is called a “Top Two Primary” system, more commonly known as a “jungle primary”. Unlike many other states, you do not vote by party. Every candidate appears on the same ballot, regardless of party affiliation, and the top two vote-getters move on to the November election.

(*Interesting, but not relevant, side note*: Independent Voters have been pushing AI ads to push voters to keep jungle primaries in California, which are entertaining to watch if you have not already seen them on your social media feed. Maybe worth another blog post for another time, but I digress…)

This means it is entirely possible for two Democrats to advance to November for the Governor of California position. It is also entirely possible for two Republicans to advance to November, and that is exactly what has many Democrats nervous right now.

The concern is not necessarily that Republicans are leading the race; the concern is that there are several Democratic candidates competing for the same group of voters, while Republican voters appear to be consolidating around two candidates: Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco.

Here are the current top candidates: 6 Democrats; 2 Republican

If Democratic voters split their votes across too many candidates, there is a very real possibility that the two Republicans could finish first and second, leaving Democrats without a candidate on the November ballot at all.

Now, for some readers, that may not sound concerning. But as someone who generally votes Democratic, it is absolutely concerning to me.

Which is why I wanted to take a moment to ask my fellow Democrats for a favor: Please help unify the Democratic vote behind a single candidate.

I am not saying you have to vote for my preferred candidate, but I am saying that if Democrats continue to scatter their votes across several different candidates, we may accidentally hand November’s election to the Republicans.

The polls right now (as of May 31, 2026) generally show Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer, Steve Hilton, and Chad Bianco as the candidates leading the race, although the exact rankings vary depending on the poll.

One recent Emerson College poll, which is considered one of the more reputable pollsters, places Xavier Becerra six points ahead of both Steyer and Hilton, who are effectively tied for second place.

So let’s talk about the two Democratic candidates who appear to have the best chance of advancing: Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer.

Xavier Becerra

Xavier Becerra is probably the candidate with the most government experience in the entire field of candidates. And I’ll disclose from the start, he is the person I am voting for.

As someone who reviews qualifications of candidates for a living, I tend to place a lot of weight on experience. And when you look at Becerra’s resume, it is difficult not to be impressed.

• B.A. in Economics, Stanford University (1980)
• J.D., Stanford Law School (1984)
• California State Assembly (1990 – 1992)
• U.S. House of Representatives (1993 – 2017)
• California Attorney General (2017 – 2021)
• U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (2021–2025)

That’s over three decades of public service at both the state and federal level. When I look at Becerra’s campaign, three themes consistently stand out to me:

• Protecting and expanding access to healthcare
• Addressing affordability issues facing working families
• Defending California’s leadership on issues such as civil rights, environmental protections, and reproductive rights.

Whether you agree with him politically or not, I think it is fair to say that he has spent much of his career working on exactly the types of issues a governor deals with every day.

For me, Becerra’s experience, qualifications, and policy priorities make him the strongest candidate in the race. His resume alone would likely get him an interview for almost any job in government, and I believe it makes him exceptionally qualified to serve as California’s next governor.

Tom Steyer

The second Democratic candidate worth discussing is Tom Steyer. Unlike Becerra, Steyer’s background is not in government. Steyer made his fortune as a hedge fund manager and became a billionaire before transitioning into politics and activism.

To his credit, he has been a major advocate for climate action and has spent years funding environmental initiatives and political causes that he believes in. He also ran for President in 2020, giving him more name recognition than many of the other candidates on the ballot.

However, I personally have been frustrated by the amount of money that he has poured into attack ads targeting Xavier Becerra. I would much rather hear why Tom Steyer believes he should be governor than hear why I shouldn’t vote for someone else. I am not naive enough to think politics is always clean. Negative campaigning has existed for as long as elections have existed. But that does not mean I have to like it.

To be clear, I do not think Steyer is unqualified. He has significant private sector leadership experience, experience being a climate activist, and has demonstrated a willingness to invest his time and resources into causes he believes in. He simply is not the candidate who earned my vote.

My Final Ask

Although I clearly have a preferred candidate, my main ask of you, the reader, is not necessarily that you vote for Xavier Becerra, but that you make sure you vote in the primary election on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Primary elections often have low turnout. Yet these elections frequently determine who voters will actually get to choose from in the general election.

And if you are a Democrat, I hope you will seriously consider one of the candidates who has a realistic chance of advancing to the November ballot.

Monday, June 1, take a little time out of your day to prepare for June 2.

STEP 1: If you didn’t receive your vote-by-mail ballot, find your polling location.

STEP 2: Read up on the candidates (not all sixty-one of them, obviously, otherwise you’ll be up all night).

STEP 3: On Tuesday, June 2, before 8:00 pm, cast your vote.

If you plan to use your vote-by-mail ballot and have not mailed it yet, please remember to get a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office, otherwise your vote may not be counted. Review your options to drop off your vote-by-mail ballot HERE (before 8:00 pm on June 8).

California is one of the most influential places in the world, not to mention having the 4th largest economy. The decisions made in our state impact not only Californians, but often the rest of the country and world as well, so please vote.

Disclosure: I am registered as a No Party Preference voter who typically votes Democratic. This blog is subjective, with limited information on the candidates, and reflects my personal views. Please do your own research on the candidate that best reflects your values and beliefs.

Happy voting!

Informative resources I used for this article, and I encourage you to explore too:

• https://www.kqed.org/voterguide/california/governor
• https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/governor/ 
• https://ballotpedia.org/California_gubernatorial_election,_2026 
• https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/california-governor-election-polls-2026.html 

Also, just in case you are curious, here are all of 61 (that’s right, I said SIXTY ONE) gubernatorial candidates you will see on your ballot:

(if crossed out, the candidate dropped out after the ballot was printed. If bolded, they are a leading candidate in the race currently.)

Democratic Party

1. Akinyemi Agbede (Mathematician)
2. Mohammad Arif (Immigrants Organizer)
3. Larry Azevedo (Businessman)
4. Xavier Becerra (Voting Rights Attorney)
5. Carolina Buhler (Civil Rights Advocate)
6. Louis A. De Barraicua (Teacher/Business Owner)
7. Sophia Edum-a-Sam (Project Manager)
8. Derek Grasty (District Trustee/Educator)
9. Joel E. Jacob (Business Owner/Entrepreneur)
10. Gary Howard Kidgell (Building Consultant)
11. Matt Mahan (Mayor, San Jose)
12. Matthew Chase Levy (Entrepreneur/Physicist)
13. Barack D. Obama Shaw (Business Owner)
14. Thunder Parley (Market Analyst)
15. Katie Porter (Consumer Protection Advocate)
16. Raji Rab (Aviator/Educator/Entrepreneur)
17. Satish Rao (Professor)
18. Scott P. Shields (Chief Executive Officer)
19. Tom Steyer (Climate Advocate)
20. Eric Swalwell (U.S. Representative)
21. Tony K. Thurmond (California State Superintendent of Public Instruction)
22. Antonio Villaraigosa (Housing Affordability Advocate)
23. Betty T. Yee (Family Care Navigator)
24. Erin “Zez” Zezulak (Consultant/Nurse/Businesswoman)

Republican Party

25. James Athans Jr. (Real Estate Agent)
26. Chad Bianco (Riverside County Sheriff)
27. Patricia De Luca Basualdo (Real Estate Broker)
28. Randeep S. Dhillon (Economist/Farmer/Businessman)
29. Rafael M. Hernandez (Businessman/Songwriter/Author)
30. Steve Hilton (Small Business Owner)
31. Alicia Olivia Lapp (No Ballot Designation)
32. Leo Naranjo IV (Retired Military Sergeant)
33. Tim Nelson (Diplomat/Rights Advocate)
34. Gretha Solórzano (Retired Nuclear Engineer)
35. Leo Samuel Zacky (Farmer/Businessman/Broadcaster)
36. David Zickefoose (Real Estate Investor)

Libertarian Party

37. Tom Woodard (Retired CEO)

Peace and Freedom Party

38. Ramsey Robinson (School Social Worker)

No Party Preference

39. Naomi Bar-Lev (Musician/Proprietor/Writer)
40. Joseph Cabrera (Business Administrator)
41. Elaine Culotti (Entrepreneur/Farmer/Developer)
42. LivingForGod AndCountry DeMott (Logistical Professional/Chaplain)
43. Lukasz Adam Filinski (Father)
44. Serge Fiankan (Real Estate Broker)
45. Max Fomin (Business Owner/Father)
46. Don J. Grundmann (Doctor of Chiropractic)
47. Jon Henderson (Business Owner)
48. Lewis Herms (No Ballot Designation)
49. Dawit Kellel (Father)
50. Anne Komarovsk (Communications Executive)
51. Duane Terrence Loynes Jr. (No Ballot Designation)
52. Amanda Martin (Mother/Builder/Entrepreneur)
53. Brent Maupin (Civil Engineer)
54. Daniel Mercuri (Father/Author/Businessman)
55. Mauro Alberto Orozco (Small Business Owner)
56. Reza Safarnejad (Small Business Owner)
57. Sam Sandak (Filmmaker)
58. Christine R. Sarmiento (Public Health Nurse)
59. Frederic C. Schultz (Human Rights Attorney)
60. Margaret Trowe (Hotel Worker)
61. Nancy D. Young (CEO/Businesswoman/Pastor)