Who’s running for California governor? It keeps changing

By Dan Walters, CalMatters, Nov. 19, 2025
Note: Article edited for brevity due to space. concerns

Getting elected governor of California is a difficult task, requiring the creation of a large apparatus to plan and execute a campaign strategy and raising tens of millions of dollars to pay for it.

Some who were in have dropped out, such as Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and former state Senate leader Toni Atkins. Meanwhile, some who considered a run — such as former Vice President Kamala Harris — backed away, and at least one who had opted out may jump back in. And names of other potential candidates continue to pop up, such as billionaire Tom Steyer who just announced he is running.

There are a few would-be governors who announced early, such as former Congresswoman Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former Attorney General and Congressman Xavier Becerra. However, their ability to raise the immense amounts of money needed to finance a campaign is hindered by uncertainty over who else might jump in. The lesser known candidates, such as state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond, former Controller Betty Yee and former Assemblyman Ian Calderon, are even more disadvantaged.

A very wealthy businessman, Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso, is among those still dithering. Steyer, dumped a bunch of money into a personal campaign for Proposition 50. Congressman Eric Swalwell, who has become one of President Donald Trump’s most persistent critics, is reportedly weighing a run. So it might help Swalwell, given voters’ rampant dislike of Trump. The buzz this week is that Bonta is reconsidering a run for governor due to the lack of an obvious frontrunner.