(The Center Square) – The Democratic field for the California gubernatorial race has become a little less crowded.
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis has dropped out of the 2026 race to succeed Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is termed-out.
Kounalakis announced recently she decided instead to run against state Sen. Anna Caballero, a fellow Democrat, for state treasurer.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Kounalakis said in a news release that she posted on X. She said she believes she will make the greatest impact by focusing on California’s financial future as treasurer. She cited her experience as a former U.S. ambassador, a former housing developer and the first woman to serve as California’s lieutenant governor.
In a news release emailed Tuesday to The Center Square, Caballero challenged Kounalakis to a series of debates in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, the Central Valley and on the Central Coast. Caballero cited her experience as the current chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the former mayor of Salinas in Monterey County. She also served as secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency under Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and was an Assembly member.
Kounalakis’ decision to drop out of the governor’s race leaves seven Democratic candidates: U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (who represented Orange County in Congress), former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former California State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former state Controller Betty Yee, former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Diamond Resorts International founder Stephen J. Cloobeck.
The Republicans running for governor are Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
Under California’s election laws, the two candidates with the greatest number of votes in the 2026 primary, regardless of party affiliation, will face off in the general election.
A new Emerson College poll shows Porter leading the race with 18% of the support. Hilton is in second place at 12%. Before she dropped out of the governor’s race, Kounalakis tied with Becerra for sixth place in the poll with 3%.
According to the poll, 38% of voters are undecided.
As previously reported by The Center Square, former Vice President Kamala Harris decided against running for governor. The Democrat, who lost to Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, has not announced whether she will run for president in 2028. She did say, though, that she plans to announce details about her plans in the months ahead.
Harris’ decision not to run has led to speculation that developer Rick Caruso, who lost to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the 2022 mayoral race, could enter the gubernatorial race. In fact, the Emerson College poll showed 4% of voters already supporting Caruso, a Democrat and billionaire.
Newsom is widely expected by Democrats and Republicans to run for president, but hasn’t announced his plans. The Emerson College poll reported 23% of California Democratic primary voters say they would back Newsom for president.
