The first major televised showdown in California’s wide-open 2026 gubernatorial race took place Wednesday night, April 22, on Nexstar stations statewide, including KRON4 in the Bay Area.

An online MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Town Hall held Monday, April 20, 2026, brought together four candidates seeking to lead California out of its chronic disease crisis. Hosted by Jeff Dornick on the Pickax platform, the nearly 2-hr. event featured leading Republican contenders Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, along with underdog candidates Leo Zacky (R) and Lewis Herms (No Party Pref.). All four candidates expressed strong agreement on core MAHA

In a stunning one-two punch over the last 48 hours, East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell has suspended his bid for California governor and says he will resign his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The moves come amid a rapidly escalating scandal involving multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and assault from women, including former staffers.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s decision to seize more than 650,000 ballots and election materials from the county Registrar of Voters following the November 2025 special election on Proposition 50 has ignited a fierce legal and political battle with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. At its core, the dispute raises a fundamental question about authority in American elections,

LOS ANGELES — The University of Southern California and KABC-TV abruptly canceled a high-profile 2026 California gubernatorial debate scheduled for Tuesday evening, March 24, after days of intense criticism that its invitation criteria unfairly excluded prominent candidates of color. The event, titled “Your Voice, Your Vote: Race for Governor 2026,” had been set to air live from USC’s Bovard Auditorium and stream statewide.

The California Republican Assembly (CRA), California’s oldest and most influential conservative Republican volunteer organization, has officially endorsed Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco for governor in the 2026 race. The endorsement came after a full day of candidate speeches and multiple rounds of balloting at the group’s annual convention held Saturday, February 21, at the Hilton Hotel at the Anaheim Convention Center.