Overview
- Eric Swalwell entered the race days after Tom Steyer, adding to a Democratic field that already includes Katie Porter, Xavier Becerra, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee, Tony Thurmond and others.
- Republicans are coalescing around Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and commentator Steve Hilton, while billionaire Rick Caruso has not ruled out running.
- Recent polling places Porter and Bianco near the top in the low-to-mid teens with roughly 44% of voters still undecided, underscoring the absence of a front-runner.
- Porter’s campaign absorbed backlash from viral videos, and prosecutors indicted longtime Becerra aide Sean McCluskie over an alleged campaign-funds scheme, though Becerra is not implicated.
- Democrats hold a nearly 2-to-1 registration advantage statewide, yet a crowded ballot raises the likelihood that narrow pluralities will determine who reaches November.