As California Gov. Gavin Newsom reaches his term limit in office, constituents across California will elect a new governor on Nov. 3, 2026.
Currently, 12 candidates are running for the position.
“The governor is elected statewide by voters in California. Candidates run in a primary election first, which will take place on June 2. The top two candidates from the June 2 election will advance to the general election,” said Ian Calderon, one of the candidates.
Polling data is used in advance to determine the likelihood of certain candidates winning the primary election. TWINS is an online political simulator intended to demonstrate the probability that any two politicians will win in the primary round.
According to this tool, there is an 81.8% chance that one Democrat and one Republican will advance to the general election. There is a 6.9% chance the winners will be two Democrats, and an 11.3% chance they will be two Republicans.
“Families are struggling to afford rent, communities need more funding for public safety, healthcare access is under threat and parts of the Central Valley still don’t have clean drinking water — yet Sacramento is spending hundreds of millions on things like electric vehicle (EV) rebates. I’m running because we need a government that stands up for working families, delivers real results and is accountable,” Calderon said.
While many Carlmont students are under 18 and cannot yet vote, there are other ways they could get involved in the race for governor. Carlmont junior Ethan Ty is currently working for a governor candidate’s campaign.
“My experience working for a governor candidate has been going pretty well. I’ve been doing a lot of campaigning work and trying to find constituents in different areas so we can interview them for their different opinions on the future of California,” Ty said.
High schoolers may also consider pursuing a degree in political science at a university. Isabella Royer, a political science and linguistics double major at University of California (UC) Berkeley, is currently studying racialized language in legal processes and how to decrease discrimination in courtrooms.
“Something I’ve learned about politics is that it involves so many different fields. If you are really interested in marine biology, but you are also interested in politics, it would be worth taking a look at both at the same time,” Royer said. “Get good at it, and I promise it will fit into politics.”
According to Ty, the outcome of this race will have a large impact on Carlmont students and the entire state.
“The office of the governor sets the rules for California residents and is there to support constituents across the state,” Ty said.
