Why a Voting Guide for the Primaries? 

The primaries are always important for determining who will be the governor of California. However, this year, like other years in which there has been a big field of candidates, with no one candidate garnering a significant percentage of the vote (according to polling), the primaries become even more important for determining the ultimate outcome of the gubernatorial race. And, depending on which two candidates get the most votes during the primary, California could have only one party represented in the general election.  

This is because party affiliation does not matter for the California June 2 primary. In California, we have a top-two primary. This is a type of primary election where all candidates for a particular office are listed on the same ballot, regardless of their party affiliation. All registered voters, regardless of their party affiliation, participate in the same primary. The top two vote-getters for any given office advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliations. So, only the two candidates for Governor who receive the highest and second-highest number of votes cast at the primary election will appear on the ballot as candidates for the fall 2026 general election. 

Where do the candidates stand on state (and federal) policies that advance AAUW California’s public policy priorities?

All candidates were asked to respond to questions about their policy positions in specific topic areas relevant to AAUW California:  reproductive justice, civil rights, Title IX, educational equity and access, equal pay, and paid leave. No candidates provided direct responses for this guide, so their alignment with AAUW California's public policy priorities were determined based on publicly available information, such as press statements, voting records, and campaign agendas. The candidates represented in the chart are pictured below, with links to their individual campaign websites. 

Our Methods & Logic

Candidates’ positions on larger issue areas, listed in the chart above, were determined based on their positions on a series of key policies or topics within that issue area. These specific policies and topics can be found on each of the individual issue pages on this website. AAUW California Public Policy determined that candidates fall into one of four positions, as outlined above-- support, oppose, mixed, or unknown--based on the committee's assessments of each candidate's voting records, public statements, campaign position papers, and/or information posted on the internet from trusted sources. Candidates were also given an opportunity to respond directly to AAUW California to offer their position statements. If candidate's responses or public records showed that the candidate strongly opposed a key policy or topic within a larger issue area (e.g., does not support policy that expands civil rights for all people), we have placed them in an “oppose” position to the entire issue area (e.g., protection of civil rights). All candidates polling above 2% have been surveyed; however, only those who have polled above 5%, based on reputable polling sources (e.g., Emerson; CBS) are listed in the chart above. If you would like information about candidates polling below 5%, you can access the information in the individual issue pages on this website. 

This chart will be updated weekly. Those represented will be updated based on polling fluctuations. Alignment with AAUW California's public policy priorities will also be updated if and when candidates reach out to AAUW California to offer specific position statements or clarify mixed records and/or if and when new public information becomes available.

To view raw data collection guides and citations for research conducted on all candidates, click here.