California Democrats pass on endorsing any candidate for governor
The California Democratic Party declined to endorse any candidate for governor at its 2026 state convention on Sunday, as the filing deadline remains two weeks away and party members are far apart on who to support in the race to succeed outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom.
None of the major candidates captured the 60% threshold required to secure the party endorsement, leading to a “no consensus” decision. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, claimed the highest number of delegate votes, at 24%, followed by former State Controller Betty Yee, at 17%.
Former Attorney General Xavier Becerra claimed 14%, followed by climate activist Tom Steyer (13%), former Rep. Katie Porter (9%), State Superintendent Tony Thurmond (7%), and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (4%) and former Assemblyman Ian Calderon (0.8%). Another 8.5% reported having no preference. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan did not appear on the ballot, as he filed to run after the deadline to qualify.
“I want to thank the California Democratic Party delegates for backing me to be California’s fighter and protector of working families,” Swalwell said in a statement. “Together, we’ll defend all Californians against Donald Trump and lower every family’s costs. I look forward to uniting our party and leading us to victories across the state in November.”
Most voters remain undecided, though polls of likely voters have placed Swalwell among the top candidates in the race.
Marcey Brightwell, a spokesperson for Yee’s campaign, cautioned against underestimating “the power of the grassroots.”
“And don’t underestimate Betty Yee,” she said in an email.
Lieutenant governor and congressional races
None of the three Democratic candidates running for lieutenant governor claimed enough support to net a party endorsement either. State Treasurer Fiona Ma claimed 49.34% support, followed by former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs (24.22%) and Josh Fryday (21.05%), who leads the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement.
Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Controller Malia Cohen, and Secretary of State Shirley Weber scored the party endorsement in their bids for reelection.
State lawmakers and incumbents running for Congress in three high-profile races fared better.
Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, won the party endorsement after winning 77% of delegates’ votes to succeed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement in November after four decades in Congress.
“I’m so grateful... and that (endorsement) reflects years of work in the community,” Wiener said. “We have so much work to do to really rebuild the strength of the Democratic Party, make sure it’s focused on affordability, making people’s lives better, housing, universal health care, making energy less expensive, more clean energy, and getting Trump the hell out of office.”
Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, won 74% of delegate votes to win the party endorsement in the race for the 1st Congressional District, which was redrawn last year via Proposition 50 to flip five more House seats in the 2026 midterms.
The district, which spans much of the North State, recently lost its representative after Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa unexpectedly died last month. A special election will take place June 2, as well as the general election in November.
Despite a last minute challenge from Chico educator Audrey Denney, McGuire maintained his endorsement after a party pre-endorsement review committee voted on Sunday morning to keep the endorsement.
McGuire, a major proponent of Prop. 50 in the Legislature, announced his campaign shortly after the ballot initiative passed at the ballot box last year. He also announced his intent to run for the special election on Friday, after which Denney called him a “carpetbagger.”
“Democrats have the opportunity to flip this district from red to blue to deliver for rural voters, to deliver for the unique needs of rural communities, on health care, good rural jobs, modernizing our schools, building new roads and bridges,” McGuire said Sunday. “I couldn’t be more grateful for the overwhelming support that we received from Democrats all throughout the North State.”
Sacramento City Councilwoman Mai Vang, who is challenging Rep. Doris Matsui in the Sacramento-area 7th Congressional District, also lost her bid to oveturn Matsui’s endorsement after Pelosi urged delegates to vote for Matsui.
“The ruling from today’s committee reaffirmed that the wealthy and well-connected can break their own rules to maintain the status quo,” she said. “Our campaign was never going to be won or lost inside a convention hall. It was going to be won at the doorsteps across the district, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. “
This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 11:33 AM with the headline "California Democrats pass on endorsing any candidate for governor."
