California State Capitol (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
The California Governor’s Race is Wide-Open and Everyone is Jumping In
To separate themselves a candidate will need policy, personality and prominence
By Joel Fox, November 29, 2025 2:45 am
Two more notable candidates entered the California governor’s race last week. That brings the total number of candidates with some recognition to about a dozen.
And who’s the front runner? Nobody.
A recent UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll said 44% of California voters are undecided on who to vote for. The highest percentage of any candidate was 13%. While some reports declared this low percentage candidate as the front runner, no one at this stage of the campaign more than six months before the primary with less than 20% of the vote should be considered a front runner.
The candidates hope to gain notice and separate from the pack. Unfortunately, some of the candidates have gained notice in a negative way. Film clips of former Congresswoman Katie Porter showing her refusing to answer questions from a reporter or bullying a staffer have reduced her poll numbers. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera has been touched by scandal when the FBI arrested top Sacramento consultants, including Becerra’s former chief-of-staff, and a lobbyist for draining one of Beccera’s campaign accounts unbeknownst to him.
The two recent additions to the field tried to make a splash using their strengths. Hedge fund founder and climate activist Tom Steyer showed off financial strength with millions of dollars in support ads featuring himself for the successful Proposition 50 campaign. He followed that with his video announcement that he was running for governor. His video ads tried to portray a fighter, but it seemed more like he was projecting himself as the angry candidate.
Congressman Eric Swalwell, a constant Trump critic on cable news, announced his candidacy on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show highlighting his friendship with Kimmel and his support of him when President Donald Trump tried to have him removed from the airwaves.
Of course, this was not the first time a California gubernatorial candidate announced his candidacy on a late-night talk show. Arnold Schwarzenegger famously told Tonight Show host Jay Leno that he decided to run for governor in the Gray Davis recall election.
That announcement took many by surprise including Schwarzenegger staffers who had accompanied him to the Tonight Show carrying press releases claiming Schwarzenegger was not going to run.
A quick aside from my memory file. I had agreed to work for Schwarzenegger on the campaign. But like others who prepared to be part of the campaign, at the time of his appearance on Leno’s show, I believed he was not going to run. I had latched onto the nascent campaign of former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth with the understanding that in the unlikely event that Schwarzenegger did run I would keep my commitment to him. I was actually in a meeting in Ueberroth’s office in Orange County when Ueberroth’s secretary called Peter out for a phone call. While the Leno show was not broadcast until 11:30 p.m., the show was taped hours earlier and Ueberroth was called and told what Arnold declared. When Peter came back into the meeting room and told us, he lived up to our agreement and asked me to leave the meeting. I was as shocked as everyone else.
I doubt Swalwell’s announcement on Jimmy Kimmel’s show will have the same impact as the Schwarzenegger announcement simply because of Schwarzenegger’s celebrity and the context of an extraordinary gubernatorial recall election.
Swalwell will work off the same playbook as Steyer and all the other Democratic candidates – GOP candidates need not apply–who will be the toughest Trump opponent. That is a lesson learned in the Proposition 50 campaign where the anti-Trump rhetoric piled up the votes in favor of Prop. 50.
But that won’t be nearly enough. With all the Democrats covering the same anti-Trump territory they will need to find something to gain the voters’ attention. Policy platforms could score. Sure, all candidates will talk about homelessness and affordability but to what degree? Platitudes won’t cut it. What remedies will convince the voters that the plans are realistic?
Remember Governor Gavin Newsom pledged when running for his first term as governor in 2018 to build 3.5 million homes by 2025 to escape the homeless crisis. A report in the San Francisco Chronicle placed the number of home units at 650,000 added through 2023. Considering an average of 110,000 permits a year adding that number for 2024 and 2025 means we haven’t reached one million homes yet. Don’t buy every plan proposed by candidates who claim they can solve a problem.
Yet, seeing how they plan to attack problems specifically can tell you about a candidate. Expect some gubernatorial candidates to follow the New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s model of presenting an agenda to solve problems whether they are realistic or not. Already gubernatorial candidate and School Superintendent Tony Thurman is following the Mamdani plan specifically by proposing tax increases on corporations and the wealthy. Thurmond has become the tax candidate.
The gubernatorial field may not be complete even yet. Rumors are that state Attorney General Rob Bonta might change his mind about not running. Wealthy Los Angeles developer and one time L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso is another possibility. A celebrity with great name recognition could sense an opportunity. And California has never been short of wealthy candidates who think they can buy themselves the seat in the governor’s mansion.
This race is far from over and it can be channeled and re-channeled by circumstances ahead from scandal to a dramatic public event and how candidates react. Good strategy and campaigns matter, too.
Candidates who gain attention through policy, personality, and prominence will have a leg up.
Over the years, Fox has taken a key role in many statewide and local ballot proposition campaigns, served on eight state and local commissions appointed by elected officials from both major political parties, and advised on two gubernatorial campaigns including as a senior advisor to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the historic recall election of 2003. He holds a position as a Senior Fellow at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Public Policy.
- Which California? Robust and Healthy or Sinking into the Ooze? Newsom Defends his Vision - December 10, 2025
- The California Governor’s Race is Wide-Open and Everyone is Jumping In - November 29, 2025
- Tying Together Thoughts on the Trump Ballroom and Proposition 50 - November 2, 2025
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These candidates better watch their backs, Katie Porter is boiling up a big kettle of potatoes.
Meanwhile Bianco is stumping for money in an unusual manner.
https://bluewaterhealthyliving.com/news/national-news/california/riverside-county-sheriff-and-governor-candidate-opens-legal-defense-fund/
It all hinges on voter ID.
As it stands today a democrat has already won. They are just negotiating with Soros as to who.
Well all the Democrats have the same problem. They can’t or won’t criticize Newsom, Bass, Bonta, or the other Democrat powerbrokers. None of them will attack the bullet train, or the homeless industrial complex. They can’t point to the failing schools, or call for deportation of 2 million illegals. None of them will point out how California lies about crime being down. They won’t rail against environmental laws and the sea of regulations strangling the Palisades rebuild. All they’ve got is Trump (and vote fraud).
The state is dominated by the needy and public employees. Hastening the assurance a very liberal gift giving governor will follow in Newsom’s legacy is the fact the private sector’s contraction continues unabated.
LEO ZACKEY, Republican, might be a very good choice. Check him out. He’s running because his family had a chicken farm that git driven out of business by over-regulation.
Yes, Roxana. Leo Zackey has been mentioned in a positive way by others on this forum. Imo, the next governor needs to have some business acumen which Newscum has NONE of. The state is approaching rock bottom so the next governor does not need to be a Donald Trump. Just a little bit of common sense will be a welcome and effective change.
Hello, thank you very much. I sure wish Newsom was prosecuted for being a SANCTUARY STATE Governor. That in itself should be criminal.
And with all his NET ZERO-CARBON NEUTRALITY for his fake GLOBAL WARMING-CLIMATE CHANGE for the UN and other GLOBALISTS, whose goal is destroy USA ENERGY and Destroy the USA from within, I think he should be IN PRISON and NOT running for USA President.
After what he’s done here, could you imagine what he would do if he was president? OMG.
With the California voting system I don’t see the governor’s race as wide open. There will be another selection count on it.
Shouldn’t Swallwell be in prison with his involvement with FANG-FANG?
I’m not crazy when I mentioned the Malibu-Palisades fire was deliberate.
I noticed that the rebuilt part will be named so far as SMARTLA2028 and when giggling-prancing GAVIN NEWSOM finally showed up to disaster, he said would be a SMART CITY and as usual blamed the fire disaster on Global Warming-Climate Change.
This is why Building permits are being strangled because much rebuilding of this UN SMART CITY will be mostly HIGH-RISE and HIGH DENSITY.
Gavin also used to be A Young Global Leader for the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM and their motto for us plebes is:
WE will Own Nothing, have no Privacy and we’ve never been happier.
GAVIN should be PROSECUTED for his part in this and he certainly has NO business running for President. look at what he’s done here and he should be sitting in a jail cell.
Finally, look at his COVID-19 LOCKDOWN TYRANNY. He had us all locked down while he enjoyed his French laundry Restaurant visit and frequent Out-of-country vacations and even kept his business opened while he threatened to jail SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS just trying to open their stores and survive. How many of these Small Businesses shut down forever?
Addendum about GAVIN NEWSOM: where’d all that money for the HOMELESS go as well as any CONCERT MONEY for the Palsades-Malibu fire disaster? And there’s the Bullet train fiasco and he even tore down dams when California needs water.
Did he tear down any KLAMATH Dams for the Indian tribes or for the UN’s UNDRIP scheme that’s really clobbering CANADA right now.
And look at how fast GAVIN cleaned up San Francisco for XIXI PING?
And, he’s heavily pushing NET ZERO and CARBON NEUTRALITY.
Upon flying to BELEM BRAZIL for the Hypocritical GLOBALIST UN COP 30 meeting, did he and they consider why they didn’t instead go NET ZERO and CARBON NEUTRALITY for themselves, didn’t cut down a lot of Amazon forest for their road and why didn’t they just use ZOOM MEETINGS instead of the World is in such a dire Global Warming impending “disaster”?
Oh, I was on YOU TUBE and found this video article called: MILLIONS of California Drivers could LOSE their LICENSE Over this Change.
It’s pretty bad.
The DMV is going to be very harsh and will FOCUS on MICROMANAGEMENT and dinging us on even the SLIGHTEST INFRACTIONs and OVERSIGHTS.
And they want to Violate HIPAA medical by demanding we Frequently fork over our Medical Records and ophthalmology exams must include results for glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration et and they want us to take COGNITIVE Tests.
While I understand we don’t want distracted drivers for whatever the reason or want impaired-drugged out drivers, I think they go way too far.
I think the real goal is to make DRIVING so PUNITIVE that the REAL GOAL is actually US having NO CARS and FORCING us into the UNS’s SMART CITIES. aka 15-MINUTE CITIES aka C40 CITIES.
Remember how NEWSCUM wants to TAX us for EVERY MILE DRIVEN also?
But hypocrite NEWSCUM has NO problem FLYING to Belem-Brazil for the UN’s COP 30 meeting of which many other Hypocrite GLOBALISTS attended.
So if you want, check out that YOU TUBE video: Millions of California Drivers could Lose their License Over This Change.
And I think that GAVIN NEWSOM should be IN JAIL and NOT running for USA PRESIDENT, over having the DMV issue CDLS for ILLEGAL ALIEN TRUCKERS who can NOT read or speak English and KILLED some people.
NEWSOM is directly RESPONSIBLE for that, seeing how he is a SANCTUARY STATE for ILLEGAL ALIENS who absolutely NO RIGHT to be in the USA at all.
I also think NEWSOM should be TRIED for 1st-DEGREE MURDER because it is HIS ACTIONS for ILLEGAL ALIENS that CAUSED the DEATHS of several USA CITIZENS. HE KNOWS what he’s doing and he works for the GLOBALISTS who do want the USA DESTROYED so absolutely NOTHING stands in the way of the GLOBALISTS finally achieving their
1-WORLD-ORDER GLOBAL GOVERNMENT. and it is a definite conspiracy and NOT a theory. Call me crazy, but it’s been their plan.
GAVIN used to be a Young Global Leader for the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM and they along with the UN and various BANKSTERS goals is a GLOBAL GOVERNMENT.
unfortunately part of that evil GLOBALIST GOAL is to KILL OFF 95 Percent of Humanity.
YUVAL NOAH HARARI, 1st advisor to the WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, WEF for short, says: WE DON’T Need You Anymore.
Why would he say that? They have their AI and ROBOTICS so they don’t need their Slave Labor anymore.
Think of how many people will LOSE their JOBS to AI! And what will they do with all of us who haven’t been REPLACED by Offshoring and HIB Replacement Workers from INDIA etc?
It’s now Destroyed, but the GLOBALISTS even erected the GEORGIA GUIDESTONES in Elbert, Georgia USA.
One of those stones says:
Maintain Humanity UNDER 500,000,000 in Perpetual Balance with Nature.
The GLOBALISTS mean business. They want to start WW3, have Complete COLLAPSE of our BANKING-ECONOMY and FOOD SUPPLY.. ILLEGAL ALIENS-ANTIFA attacking us right and left with NO Consequences from SOROS and other LEFTIST JUDGES.
Buckle up, I think things are going to get VERY BAD and very soon. I’m hoping I’m wrong but I don’t know., so just prepare. If nothing happens, great, but again, having learned about this stuff, I don’t feel good at all and MOST PEOPLE like: FAUCI-BIG PHARMA, traitors like GAVIN NEWSOM,
BIDEN who said to surge the borders upon my election, Kamala the Border Czar and DHS Head ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS who actually went to the Darien Gap IN PANAMA have NEVER been PUNISHED for this ILLEGAL ALIEN INVASION of the USA.
Most Republicans appeared to sit on their hands and nothing about the BIDEN ADMIN-and did NOT do anything to stop the NGOS helping ILLEGALS but the UN-SOROS and some religions.
REAL ID: Was the real purpose outside of the UN’s GREAT REPLACEMENT of the USA people to Force-Impose the GLOBALIST
REAL ID on us?