Gavin Newsom

📞 (916) 445-2841

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Key Figures

Six major governorships open due to term limits in 2026: California (Gavin Newsom termed out), Florida (Ron DeSantis termed out), Michigan (Gretchen Whitmer termed out), Ohio (Mike DeWine termed out), Georgia (Brian Kemp termed out), and potentially Texas if Greg Abbott retires. Of 36 total governor races, Sabato''s Crystal Ball rates Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin as genuine toss-ups heading into the general election. Democrats already flipped Virginia''s governorship in November 2025 with Abigail Spanberger''s win. Republicans hold 26 governorships entering the cycle; Democrats hold 24.

California holds its top-two primary for governor, U.S. Senate, and all congressional seats on June 2, 2026. The governor''s race is wide open: Gavin Newsom is term-limited, and top Democratic candidates include former Rep. Katie Porter, former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, and billionaire Tom Steyer. The seat is safe Democratic in November but the primary is genuinely competitive. California also implemented a new congressional map via a November 2025 ballot measure eliminating five Republican-held districts, reshaping multiple House races.

On May 18, 2026, Cain Clark (17) and Caleb Vazquez (18), both from San Diego, drove to the Islamic Center of San Diego (7050 Eckstrom Ave, Clairemont) — the largest mosque in San Diego County — and shot and killed three people: a mosque security guard and two Islamic school staff members. Both suspects died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle parked near the center. Investigators found anti-Islamic writing on at least one firearm and inside the vehicle, and recovered a suicide note containing racial pride language. FBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily confirmed the FBI is leading the investigation as a federal hate crime under 18 U.S.C. § 249, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. SDPD Chief Scott Wahl briefed President Trump and Governor Newsom. Because both suspects are deceased, federal hate crime charges cannot be filed against them personally — repeating the structural limitation exposed by the Oak Creek shooting in 2012.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issues a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of California''s "No Vigilantes Act" — a state law requiring ICE agents to display government-issued identification before making arrests. The law was passed by the California Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2025 as part of a broader state effort to establish guardrails on immigration enforcement operations. The 9th Circuit panel rules that the law likely conflicts with federal immigration enforcement authority under the Supremacy Clause. The court finds California cannot condition or obstruct federal officers'' ability to execute federal immigration law. The ruling is a setback for California''s strategy of using state law to limit the Trump administration''s deportation operations. California AG Rob Bonta says the state will continue fighting for the law in court. The Trump administration had sought the injunction as part of a broader legal campaign against state sanctuary policies and laws that limit cooperation between local governments and ICE. The 9th Circuit ruling adds to a series of federal court decisions limiting states'' ability to restrict immigration enforcement.

ICE activated the Central Valley Annex in McFarland, California on April 15, 2026, a 700-bed facility operated by GEO Group in a former state prison. The facility brought California's total active ICE detention capacity to nearly 10,000 beds across eight centers, all run by private contractors. DHS transferred detainees to McFarland without advance public notice, continuing a pattern of quietly expanding private detention infrastructure in the state.