CalMatters
California picks Becerra to replace Newsom
The governor-elect is unlikely to depart much from Newsom's policies.
Read more →40th Governor · State of California
California Kept Moving Forward
On November 3, 2026, Californians chose to continue the path Gov. Gavin Newsom set over two terms: higher wages, universal pre-K, clean energy, and a state that stands up for its people. He hands off the office in January 2027. The fight for California's values keeps going.
✔ Becerra elected governor, Nov. 3
🏛 Governor since January 2019
★ Two terms, one recall defeated
Election Results
California Stayed the Course
Gov. Newsom is term-limited and was not on the ballot. Voters still delivered a clear verdict on the direction he set. Counties are still finishing their canvass, and the Secretary of State certifies final results by December 11, 2026.
Projected Winner
Live official count ↗
Xavier Becerra (D), Governor-elect
Defeats Republican Steve Hilton to succeed Gov. Newsom, keeping California's governorship in Democratic hands.
Statewide
Democrats on track to sweep every statewide office, CalMatters reports
Prop 50
Newsom's 2025 redistricting response, approved by voters a year earlier
Jan 2027
Newsom's second term ends and Governor-elect Becerra takes office
About
Meet Gavin Newsom
A San Francisco native, small-business founder, big-city mayor and two-term governor of the nation's largest state.
Born in San Francisco in 1967, Gavin Newsom grew up in the Bay Area and was diagnosed with severe dyslexia as a child. He earned a degree in political science from Santa Clara University, then founded the PlumpJack wine shop, which grew into a group of restaurants, hotels and wineries employing hundreds of Californians.
He joined the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1997 and was elected mayor in 2003. Weeks into his term he directed the city to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, years before the country caught up. As mayor he also created Healthy San Francisco, one of the first programs in the nation to offer universal access to health care at the city level.
After two terms as lieutenant governor, he was elected governor in 2018. He defeated a 2021 recall attempt by a wide margin and won re-election in 2022. He and his wife, filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are raising four children.
“If you interfere, you will be prosecuted.”— Gov. Newsom, warning against election interference on the eve of the 2026 vote
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Entrepreneur
Built a small business into a statewide employer.
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Mayor
Led San Francisco for two terms, from 2004 to 2011.
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Governor
Two terms leading the world's fourth-largest economy.
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Author
Wrote about growing up with dyslexia in his memoir.
Priorities
What Governor Newsom Fought For
The California agenda he championed, and the one voters chose to continue.
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Kids & Schools
Universal transitional kindergarten for every 4-year-old, free school meals for all students, and record K–12 funding.
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Working Families
A $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers, an expanded state Earned Income Tax Credit, and a Young Child Tax Credit.
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Health Care for All
Expanded Medi-Cal coverage and launched CalRx to make low-cost, state-branded generic drugs, starting with insulin.
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Climate Leadership
Phasing out sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035 and a path to carbon neutrality by 2045.
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Housing & Homelessness
Pushed cities to build more homes, launched Homekey and CARE Court, and cleared encampments with services.
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Defending Democracy
Prop 50 to counter mid-decade gerrymanders in other states, plus new protections against election interference.
Record
Eight Years of Getting It Done
Highlights from two terms as California's governor.
$20/hr
Fast-food minimum wage, signed into law (AB 1228, 2023)
Universal
Transitional kindergarten for all 4-year-olds
2035
Target to end sales of new gas-powered cars
2 terms
Plus a recall defeated by a wide margin in 2021
2019
Sworn In as Governor
Placed a moratorium on executions in California and made early investments in housing and homelessness.
2020
Leading Through the Pandemic
Issued the nation's first statewide stay-at-home order and signed an executive order to end sales of new gas cars by 2035.
2021
Recall Defeated, Universal Pre-K
Defeated the recall decisively and signed the budget creating universal transitional kindergarten and free school meals.
2022
Re-elected & Protecting Rights
Won a second term, created CARE Court, and backed Prop 1 enshrining reproductive freedom in the state constitution.
2023
Raising Wages
Signed AB 1228, setting a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers.
2025
Prop 50
Led the campaign for Prop 50, which voters approved in response to Texas's mid-decade redistricting.
2026
Passing the Torch
Released his final budget and saw Californians elect a Democratic successor to carry the work forward.
In the News
Election Week Coverage
CNN
Newsom warns against election tampering
On the eve of the vote, the governor promised to prosecute election interference.
Read more →CalMatters
Newsom's positions on the November ballot
Where the governor stood on the propositions, including the tax measures.
Read more →Keep California Moving Forward
The election is over, but the work isn't. Stay involved and help protect the progress California made under Gov. Newsom.