Release #2024-22: Governor Race 2026

California will be electing a new governor in 2026, as current Governor Gavin Newsom cannot run again because of term limits.In its latest survey of California registered voters, the Berkeley IGS Poll asked voters for their initial preferences in the state's 2026 gubernatorial election.When measuring preferences in this survey, voters were presented with a long list of 9 Democrats and 4 Republicans who have either already announced their intentions to run for governor or have been mentioned in press reports as potential candidates.In this setting, no single candidate emerges as the clear leader, with about half of the state's voters (52%) not expressing a preference at this time.Atop the field at this early stage are Democratic Congresswoman Katie Porter, and two Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and state Senator Brian Dahle.Porter receives 13% of voters' first or second choice preferences were she to run, Bianco gets 12% and Dahle 11%.Three other Democrats follow at 7%, Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.Five other Democrats and two Republicans trail, with each receiving between 2% and 5%.However, many Californians say they would also consider Vice President Kamala Harris as a candidate for governor in 2026 should she choose to enter the race.While Harris was not included among the potential candidates in the poll's preference measures, when asked separately whether they would consider supporting her as a gubernatorial candidate, one in three voters (33%) say they would be very likely to do so, and another 13% would be somewhat likely.These findings come from a statewide Berkeley IGS Poll random sample survey completed online October 22-29 among 4,341 Californians registered to vote in English and Spanish.Observed IGS co-director Eric Schickler, "At this early stage it is not surprising that there is no early frontrunner among voters in the 2026 Governor's race.If Vice President Harris were to run, she would have an important advantage as she is by far the best known of the potential candidates.But for now, this is shaping up to be a wide-open race, with several Democrats likely to battle it out for the attention of Democratic voters."