California Governor's Race

California Governor's Race — Lantern Podcasts

California Governor's Race is a daily briefing on the 2026 election and the California governor contest. Each episode breaks down candidate backgrounds, campaign strategy, fundraising and polling, with close reads of debates and policy choices shaping California politics. We map Gavin Newsom's role and the paths of challengers across the gubernatorial race, explaining what fundraising reports and legal fights mean for voters. Episodes deliver on-the-ground recaps of campaign events, debate takeaways and interviews with strategists, plus clear explainers of ballot rules and voter impact in the California governor race. This podcast is for voters, reporters and news consumers following the 2026 election who want clear context on polling trends and the forces that will decide the next governor.

  1. 4d ago

    Newsom Unites Democrats as Becerra-Hilton Race Begins

    California governor race: Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris moved to unite Democrats behind Xavier Becerra after Steve Hilton secured the runoff spot, while Tom Steyer’s $200 million bid collapsed and Trump-fueled fraud claims targeted the slow count. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Newsom Rallies Democrats Behind Becerra After Hilton Secures Runoff Spot — TheWrap https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/politics/gavin-newsom-officially-endorses-xavier-becerra-ca-governors-race/ 2. Step Back: When Gavin Newsom endorses Xavier Becerra and Democrats say they’re “rallying” around him, what does that actually buy a candidate in California — money, field operation, voter cues — and where are the limits of a sitting governor’s influence? 3. Californians didn’t buy billionaire Tom Steyer’s ‘class traitor’ message — Yahoo News https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/californians-didn-t-buy-billionaire-001653512.html 4. Egged on by Trump, right-wing ecosystem makes baseless claims of California voter fraud — CalMatters https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/egged-trump-wing-ecosystem-makes-185152979.html 5. CA governor race results: How San Diego County voted in the primary — FOX 5 San Diego https://fox5sandiego.com/election/california-governor-race-results-san-diego-county/ Follow and rate California Governor's Race on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email california-governors-race@lanternpodcasts.com

    11 min
  2. Jun 5

    Becerra Advances as California’s Slow Count Shapes November

    Xavier Becerra is projected to advance in California’s 2026 governor race, with Steve Hilton still leading the count and Tom Steyer trailing; PPIC’s survey helps explain Becerra’s late surge after Eric Swalwell exited. In this episode: Top stories: 1. Latest PPIC Statewide Survey Sheds Light on Voter Preferences - Public Policy Institute of California — Public Policy Institute of California https://www.ppic.org/blog/latest-ppic-statewide-survey-sheds-light-on-voter-preferences/ 2. Step Back: California’s governor’s race can send any two candidates to November, even two from the same party — so what was the top-two primary supposed to fix, and has it actually changed who can win statewide here? 3. Becerra Advances in California's $300 Million Race for Governor — Bloomberg Law https://news.bgov.com/california-brief/becerra-advances-in-californias-300-million-race-for-governor 4. What it would take to speed up California's ballot-counting process — San Francisco Chronicle https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/california-ballot-counting-22290056.php 5. Real-Time Election Results: CA Governor's Primary Election 2026 | Across California, CA Patch — Patch https://patch.com/california/across-ca/real-time-election-results-ca-governors-primary-election-2026 Follow and rate California Governor's Race on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email california-governors-race@lanternpodcasts.com

    11 min
  3. Jun 4

    Becerra-Hilton Runoff Takes Shape as Steyer’s Millions Fall Short

    California governor primary returns put Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton on track for November, with Tom Steyer’s record self-funded blitz lagging and analysts reading a win for party regulars over money and novelty. In this episode: Top stories: 1. 5 things to know about California's election results - CalMatters — CalMatters https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/06/primary-election-5-things-to-know/ 2. Barabak: Youth, money, gender and other takeaways from California's crazy gubernatorial primary - AOL — The Los Angeles Times https://www.aol.com/news/barabak-youth-money-gender-other-163644696.html 3. Step Back: When headlines say record-setting “outside money” is pouring into California’s governor’s race, what does that actually mean — who’s allowed to spend it, what can they spend it on, and how much control do the candidates really have over it? 4. Democrat and Republican go head-to-head in California governor race | Elections News | Al Jazeera — Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/3/democrat-and-republican-go-head-to-head-in-california-governor-race 5. California governor’s primary pitted experience against promises of change - al.com — AL.com https://www.al.com/news/2026/06/california-governors-primary-pitted-experience-against-promises-of-change.html Follow and rate California Governor's Race on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Feedback? Email california-governors-race@lanternpodcasts.com

    8 min
1
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

California Governor's Race is a daily briefing on the 2026 election and the California governor contest. Each episode breaks down candidate backgrounds, campaign strategy, fundraising and polling, with close reads of debates and policy choices shaping California politics. We map Gavin Newsom's role and the paths of challengers across the gubernatorial race, explaining what fundraising reports and legal fights mean for voters. Episodes deliver on-the-ground recaps of campaign events, debate takeaways and interviews with strategists, plus clear explainers of ballot rules and voter impact in the California governor race. This podcast is for voters, reporters and news consumers following the 2026 election who want clear context on polling trends and the forces that will decide the next governor.

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