My 2026 California Primary Election Voter Guide
If you’ve read this before then you already know my biases. If not, then I’m not really sure how you got here. I’m a registered Democrat and someone who finds themselves more and more radically on the left of the political spectrum. So, that is what you are going to see in my recommendations below. Oh, and I’d get your ballot in early, especially if you decide to mail it. Given comments from our President about mail-in ballots, I don’t know if I completely trust the USPS with my ballot. If you do decide to mail it make sure you track it through your county elections office to make sure they got it and counted it. If they don’t you can still vote in person on election day on a provisional ballot. I’ll be dropping my ballot off at one of the drop boxes.
Finally, don’t go telling me in the comments about why I am wrong or what you think. That is what your blog is for. With that out of the way...
Governor
There are no good options here in my opinion. But, I could just be increasingly jaded about the state of democracy. Becerra’s campaign has a scandal attached to it, according to staff at the federal agency he ran under the Biden administration he was absent and/or ineffective. And, all the money and power that was behind Swallwell immediately started going to work for Becerra as soon as Swallwell was out. I don’t think Becerra will be bad for Californians the way I believe Hinton or Bianco would be but I don’t think he’d help them much either. Just more of the same corporate-lite run state we’ve had under Newsom. The other option, Steyer, is a billionaire who seems to be running just as another way to spend his free time and money. He says the right things and positions are much more progressive than Becerra’s but if he actually believed all that stuff would he ever have become a billionaire? Steyer does have a lot of union support and if I have to trust some group here I guess it is them.
It’s one of those two. The rest aren’t polling anywhere else to be close. And if they were polling higher they would have plenty of horror articles coming out about them, I'm sure.
Lt. Governor
This is a do nothing position that should be eliminated. If the Governor can’t do the job the Pro-tem of the Senate or Assembly Speaker could hold the reins until the Governor could or there was an election. Michael Tubbs is who I will likely vote for. He helped turned Stockton around, he’s focused on affordability. There isn’t much in this office that he can actually do beyond being a spokesperson and an advocate. He has SEIU support but most unions have backed Fiona Ma, who has been a serviceable Treasurer but has had a sex scandal and some weird relationship with a boarding school in China...
Secretary of State
Shirley Weber is doing a fine job and I will be voting for her.
Attorney General
Rob Bonta is doing a fine job and I will be voting for him.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
The legislature and the Governor are currently in the midst of removing all power and authority from this position, so it hardly matters. But, if the Superintendent of Public Instruction is just going to be the state’s #1 advocate for California’s schoolchildren than you can’t go wrong with Al Muratsuchi. He’s a considerate man who has worked hard and diligently in the education space for his entire 10 year tenure in the state Assembly. The other candidates don’t have the education policy chops and/or are just looking for a landing pad from their current elected gigs.
Controller
Malia Cohen is doing a fine job and I will be supporting her.
Treasurer
Almost every union is backing Eleni Kounalakis but I just can’t stomach doing so for my own personal, idiosyncratic reasons (people buying their offices). I’m probably a vote for Anna Caballero but Tony Vazquez is fine as well.
Insurance Commissioner
Our current one, Ricardo Lara, if not a criminal is criminal-adjacent. He certainly hasn’t done anything in his tenure as insurance commissioner to help Californians deal with rising insurance rates and getting the claims they are entitled to. All of the democrats seem okay, I am leaning towards Jane Kim or Ben Allen.
Board of Equalization
The Board had most of its power stripped from it back in 2017. It now mostly serves as a holding pen for washed up or out electeds. Its powers are now limited to what is in the CA constitution: reviewing assessments, collections and appeals for property, insurance, and alcoholic beverage taxes. And some railroad stuff. But you’d don't own a railroad so that doesn’t mean much to you. If you live in Yolo or Sacramento county your vote is going to be far outweighed by the folks who live in the other 32 counties that are in District 1 of the Board. So go crazy. We’re gonna end up with Shannon Grove in the end... I’m voting for Nelson Esparza. But again it doesn’t matter.
Congressional District 4
I am voting for Mike Thompson. He might be older, he might be a little centrist for my taste, but he is a tireless advocate for this congressional district, he has labor support and he’s not a rich tech carpetbagger from the bay trying to buy his way into congress and choking my mailbox with mailers spouting vague promises about something. (that’s the other guy)
Assembly District 4
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry is the only person on the ballot. Which is good because she’s done a fantastic job advocating for Colusa, Lake, Napa, Sonoma, and Yolo counties despite those counties having vastly different needs and wants.
Judge of Superior Court 1
I am supporting Ryan Davis for Superior Court 1. He’s called Yolo County home for 40 years he’s had a broad base of experience in the legal field, being both a prosecutor and a public defender, something I feel is sorely lacking in our judiciary. And, he’s isn’t endorsed by every cop union in the county.
Measure V
One hopes that soon the state legislature will eliminate the ability of people to pull the ladder up after themselves once they have enough money to own a home. But until then, here in Davis, we have to vote on every new housing project. How has that gone for us since Measure J became law 25 years ago? We’ve built 700 single-family homes. In the same time our school enrollment has cratered, our roads have crumbled, and our downtown is full of empty storefronts, or fast, cheap, and casual businesses that cater to the only dependable customer in this town: college students.
This town needs more housing. Not just apartments. I will be voting yes on every housing project on the ballot for the foreseeable future. You don’t preserve the ‘culture of your community’ by slowly choking it to death.
Yolo County Supervisor Races, District 2 & 3
There are two county supervisor races, and while I can’t vote in either of them, if you do, you should feel comfortable voting for Lucas Frerichs, who is running unopposed and is a tireless worker and advocate for Yolo, Davis, and Winters. And Mayra Vega, a Woodland City Councilmember, who has the endorsement of state and local Dems.