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Tom Steyer Enters 2026 California Governor’s Race With Affordability Pitch

The billionaire activist launches on promises to cut energy costs, speed homebuilding, plus free preschool and community college financed by closing corporate tax loopholes.

Overview

  • Steyer announced his bid with a video casting himself as an outsider ready to confront corporations over California’s cost of living.
  • His platform pledges a 25% reduction in electric bills by ending utility monopolies, construction of 1 million homes in four years, and free preschool and community college funded by closing corporate tax loopholes.
  • The campaign also calls for banning corporate contributions to PACs in state elections and points to his past work on Propositions 23, 39 and 56.
  • He enters the race after committing about $12 million to support Proposition 50, the redistricting measure approved this month.
  • His team says he will self-fund to some extent, with the amount undecided, as he joins a crowded field that includes Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter and Antonio Villaraigosa after Kamala Harris and Alex Padilla declined to run.