What Is California's ‘Jungle Primary’ — and Why Does It Matter for the Governor’s Race?

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]Could California have two Republicans vying to replace Gavin Newsom in November? In all likelihood, no. But, the reason people are talking about it is because California has what we call a jungle primary for governor, state legislature, Congress, and more. The way it works is every candidate from every party is on the same ballot, and you can cast your vote for whoever you want. The two candidates with the most votes in that primary then move on to the general election, even if they're from the same party. It happened in 2016 when we had two Democrats run for Senate. That's different from presidential elections where only registered members of a party can vote in that party's primary. So, what does this mean for this year's high-profile race to replace termed-out Governor Gavin Newsom? Some Democrats worried if their candidates split their vote too many ways, there would be a chance that both Republicans grab the top two spots, even though registered Democrats outnumber Republicans almost two to one in the state. But, polling is now showing it's extremely unlikely, mainly because Republican Steve Hilton seems to be consolidating GOP support.

[00:00:59]California has had this jungle primary system since 2010, when voters approved a measure backed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He saw it as a way to make politics less partisan, force candidates to appeal across party lines, and give more power to independent voters. But, critics say the experiment failed, and there's now a ballot initiative seeking to repeal the jungle primary system. But, they're aiming for the 2028 ballot, so it won't affect 2026, which will still be a wild election.