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June 2 California Primary Pits 61 Top-Two Candidates

6/3/2026

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California Primary

California’s June 2 primary features an unprecedented 61 candidates competing for the governor’s office under the top-two jungle system.
Voters across California cast ballots on June 2, 2026, with polls closing at 8 p.m. and results now being tabulated.
Over 6 million ballots were cast before Election Day, illustrating California’s reliance on mail-in voting.
The system also governs Los Angeles mayoral race, with Mayor Karen Bass facing a dozen challengers.

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Becerra Front-Runner

Xavier Becerra vaulted from a low-polling candidate to front-runner after organic social-media buzz and a late-stage advertising push.
California voters cast ballots in the June 2, 2026 jungle primary, with results currently being tabulated.
Becerra pledged to freeze insurance and utility rates as Californians confront costs and wildfire threats.
Steyer’s campaign reported 3,000 fake accounts generated 1.3 million views to promote Becerra and criticize Steyer.

History

Historical Context

In June 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Secretary of State Debra Bowen backed Proposition 14, authored by Senator Abel Maldonado, which voters approved by 54% to replace partisan primaries with a top-two blanket primary. The reform paved the way for the California June 2 2026 jungle primary, featuring 61 gubernatorial hopefuls and more than six million mail-in ballots across the state.

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California Primary

California’s June 2 primary features an unprecedented 61 candidates competing for the governor’s office under the top-two jungle system.
Voters across California cast ballots on June 2, 2026, with polls closing at 8 p.m. and results now being tabulated.
Over 6 million ballots were cast before Election Day, illustrating California’s reliance on mail-in voting.
The system also governs Los Angeles mayoral race, with Mayor Karen Bass facing a dozen challengers.

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