2026 California Attorney General election
 | ||||||||||
November 3, 2026
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
.jpg)
.jpg)
| Elections in California |
|---|
 |
The 2026 California Attorney General election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the attorney general of California. Incumbent Democratic attorney general Rob Bonta is running for re-election to a second full term in office.[1] Candidates were required to declare by March 6 with primaries being held on June 2 with Bonta and former Huntington Beach city attorney Michael Gates advancing to the general election.[2]
Candidates
[edit]Democratic Party
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Rob Bonta, incumbent attorney general (2021–present)[1]
Declined
[edit]- Ben Allen, state senator from the 34th district (2018–present) (running for Insurance Commissioner)[3]
- Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation (2022–present) and former state assemblymember from the 80th district (2013–2022)[4]
- Rick Zbur, state assemblymember from the 51st district (2022–present)[5]
Republican Party
[edit]Advanced to general
[edit]- Michael Gates, former Huntington Beach city attorney[6]
Green Party
[edit]Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Marjorie Mikels, activist[7]
Primary election
[edit]Endorsements
[edit]Rob Bonta (D)
- Labor unions
- California Faculty Association[8]
- California Federation of Labor Unions[9]
- California Nurses Association[10]
- Los Angeles County Federation of Labor[11]
- SEIU California [12]
- SEIU United Healthcare Workers West[13]
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters California[14]
- Organizations
- Asian American Action Fund[15]
- Brady Campaign[16]
- California Environmental Voters[17]
- Equality California[18]
- Giffords[19]
- Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California[20]
- Sierra Club California[21] and Angeles Chapter[22]
- Stonewall Democratic Club[23]
- Political parties
- Newspapers
Michael Gates (R)
- State legislators
- Gloria Romero, former Democratic state senate majority leader (2005–2008) from the 24th district (2001–2010) and candidate for lieutenant governor of California in 2026[30]
- Individuals
- Steve Hilton, political commentator and candidate for governor of California in 2026[30]
- Political parties
Marjorie Mikels (G)
- Political parties
Results
[edit]
Bonta
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
Gates
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rob Bonta (incumbent) | 4,979,967 | 56.62 | |
| Republican | Michael Gates | 3,337,433 | 37.94 | |
| Green | Marjorie Mikels | 478,450 | 5.44 | |
| Total votes | 8,795,850 | 100.00 | ||
By county
[edit]| County[35] | Rob Bonta Democratic |
Michael Gates Republican |
Marjorie Mikels Green |
Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alameda | 282,776 | 74.19% | 74,621 | 19.58% | 23,755 | 6.23% | 208,155 | 54.61% | 381,152 |
| Alpine | 286 | 60.21% | 164 | 34.53% | 25 | 5.26% | 122 | 25.68% | 475 |
| Amador | 4,922 | 31.75% | 9,964 | 64.28% | 614 | 3.96% | -5,042 | -32.53% | 15,500 |
| Butte | 23,657 | 40.49% | 31,295 | 53.57% | 3,470 | 5.94% | -7,638 | -13.07% | 58,422 |
| Calaveras | 5,391 | 31.64% | 10,998 | 64.55% | 650 | 3.81% | -5,607 | -32.91% | 17,039 |
| Colusa | 1,219 | 29.64% | 2,720 | 66.13% | 174 | 4.23% | -1,501 | -36.49% | 4,113 |
| Contra Costa | 196,519 | 64.55% | 91,801 | 30.15% | 16,123 | 5.30% | 104,718 | 34.40% | 304,443 |
| Del Norte | 2,330 | 37.28% | 3,608 | 57.73% | 312 | 4.99% | -1,278 | -20.45% | 6,250 |
| El Dorado | 27,618 | 37.97% | 42,234 | 58.06% | 2,890 | 3.97% | -14,616 | -20.09% | 72,742 |
| Fresno | 76,155 | 43.83% | 88,008 | 50.66% | 9,572 | 5.51% | -11,853 | -6.82% | 173,735 |
| Glenn | 1,522 | 24.72% | 4,426 | 71.89% | 209 | 3.39% | -2,904 | -47.17% | 6,157 |
| Humboldt | 21,972 | 57.33% | 12,834 | 33.49% | 3,521 | 9.19% | 9,138 | 23.84% | 38,327 |
| Imperial | 12,531 | 52.38% | 9,879 | 41.30% | 1,512 | 6.32% | 2,652 | 11.09% | 23,922 |
| Inyo | 2,408 | 42.60% | 2,899 | 51.29% | 345 | 6.10% | -491 | -8.69% | 5,652 |
| Kern | 52,668 | 37.06% | 82,835 | 58.29% | 6,609 | 4.65% | -30,167 | -21.23% | 142,112 |
| Kings | 7,268 | 34.20% | 13,009 | 61.21% | 976 | 4.59% | -5,741 | -27.01% | 21,253 |
| Lake | 7,210 | 45.05% | 7,792 | 48.69% | 1,001 | 6.26% | -582 | -3.64% | 16,003 |
| Lassen | 1,294 | 18.03% | 5,620 | 78.32% | 262 | 3.65% | -4,326 | -60.28% | 7,176 |
| Los Angeles | 1,305,327 | 64.35% | 603,360 | 29.74% | 119,798 | 5.91% | 701,967 | 34.61% | 2,028,485 |
| Madera | 10,769 | 35.39% | 18,332 | 60.24% | 1,330 | 4.37% | -7,563 | -24.85% | 30,431 |
| Marin | 72,679 | 76.23% | 18,491 | 19.39% | 4,173 | 4.38% | 54,188 | 56.83% | 95,343 |
| Mariposa | 2,270 | 35.05% | 3,922 | 60.55% | 285 | 4.40% | -1,652 | -25.51% | 6,477 |
| Mendocino | 14,134 | 57.97% | 8,362 | 34.29% | 1,887 | 7.74% | 5,772 | 23.67% | 24,383 |
| Merced | 19,762 | 45.06% | 21,573 | 49.19% | 2,523 | 5.75% | -1,811 | -4.13% | 43,858 |
| Modoc | 547 | 20.85% | 1,985 | 75.65% | 92 | 3.51% | -1,438 | -54.80% | 2,624 |
| Mono | 1,862 | 52.87% | 1,450 | 41.17% | 210 | 5.96% | 412 | 11.70% | 3,522 |
| Monterey | 48,111 | 60.99% | 26,193 | 33.20% | 4,585 | 5.81% | 21,918 | 27.78% | 78,889 |
| Napa | 24,059 | 61.96% | 12,726 | 32.77% | 2,045 | 5.27% | 11,333 | 29.19% | 38,830 |
| Nevada | 20,561 | 50.03% | 18,231 | 44.36% | 2,304 | 5.61% | 2,330 | 5.67% | 41,096 |
| Orange | 356,825 | 46.67% | 372,374 | 48.70% | 35,417 | 4.63% | -15,549 | -2.03% | 764,616 |
| Placer | 60,473 | 41.27% | 81,147 | 55.37% | 4,925 | 3.36% | -20,674 | -14.11% | 146,545 |
| Plumas | 2,540 | 35.41% | 4,276 | 59.60% | 358 | 4.99% | -1,736 | -24.20% | 7,174 |
| Riverside | 244,520 | 47.40% | 247,026 | 47.88% | 24,335 | 4.72% | -2,506 | -0.49% | 515,881 |
| Sacramento | 212,713 | 56.73% | 139,806 | 37.29% | 22,417 | 5.98% | 72,907 | 19.45% | 374,936 |
| San Benito | 8,363 | 52.76% | 6,678 | 42.13% | 809 | 5.10% | 1,685 | 10.63% | 15,850 |
| San Bernardino | 175,395 | 46.28% | 181,749 | 47.96% | 21,834 | 5.76% | -6,354 | -1.68% | 378,978 |
| San Diego | 431,448 | 53.07% | 338,456 | 41.63% | 43,151 | 5.31% | 92,992 | 11.44% | 813,055 |
| San Francisco | 189,269 | 78.34% | 35,004 | 14.49% | 17,337 | 7.18% | 154,265 | 63.85% | 241,610 |
| San Joaquin | 60,900 | 46.52% | 62,864 | 48.02% | 7,158 | 5.47% | -1,964 | -1.50% | 130,922 |
| San Luis Obispo | 47,423 | 49.72% | 43,647 | 45.76% | 4,315 | 4.52% | 3,776 | 3.96% | 95,385 |
| San Mateo | 132,085 | 70.55% | 45,915 | 24.52% | 9,226 | 4.93% | 86,170 | 46.02% | 187,226 |
| Santa Barbara | 59,772 | 56.84% | 39,394 | 37.46% | 5,994 | 5.70% | 20,378 | 19.38% | 105,160 |
| Santa Clara | 257,367 | 65.08% | 116,655 | 29.50% | 21,438 | 5.42% | 140,712 | 35.58% | 395,460 |
| Santa Cruz | 57,629 | 70.96% | 17,324 | 21.33% | 6,257 | 7.70% | 40,305 | 49.63% | 81,210 |
| Shasta | 14,679 | 28.24% | 35,252 | 67.81% | 2,054 | 3.95% | -20,573 | -39.57% | 51,985 |
| Sierra | 390 | 32.39% | 764 | 63.46% | 50 | 4.15% | -374 | -31.06% | 1,204 |
| Siskiyou | 4,697 | 34.74% | 8,121 | 60.07% | 702 | 5.19% | -3,424 | -25.33% | 13,520 |
| Solano | 59,820 | 57.61% | 38,892 | 37.46% | 5,118 | 4.93% | 20,928 | 20.16% | 103,830 |
| Sonoma | 112,162 | 68.62% | 41,626 | 25.47% | 9,666 | 5.91% | 70,536 | 43.15% | 163,454 |
| Stanislaus | 40,265 | 42.01% | 51,071 | 53.29% | 4,504 | 4.70% | -10,806 | -11.28% | 95,840 |
| Sutter | 7,012 | 31.68% | 14,169 | 64.02% | 952 | 4.30% | -7,157 | -32.34% | 22,133 |
| Tehama | 3,759 | 23.60% | 11,577 | 72.69% | 591 | 3.71% | -7,818 | -49.09% | 15,927 |
| Trinity | 1,396 | 38.71% | 1,975 | 54.77% | 235 | 6.52% | -579 | -16.06% | 3,606 |
| Tulare | 24,875 | 36.18% | 41,122 | 59.82% | 2,750 | 4.00% | -16,247 | -23.63% | 68,747 |
| Tuolumne | 6,877 | 35.47% | 11,683 | 60.26% | 827 | 4.27% | -4,806 | -24.79% | 19,387 |
| Ventura | 117,490 | 53.43% | 92,577 | 42.10% | 9,839 | 4.47% | 24,913 | 11.33% | 219,906 |
| Yolo | 36,698 | 63.40% | 16,955 | 29.29% | 4,226 | 7.30% | 19,743 | 34.11% | 57,879 |
| Yuba | 5,298 | 33.09% | 10,002 | 62.46% | 713 | 4.45% | -4,704 | -29.38% | 16,013 |
| Totals | 4,979,967 | 56.62% | 3,337,433 | 37.94% | 478,450 | 5.44% | 1,642,534 | 18.67% | 8,795,850 |
General election
[edit]Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[36] | Safe D | August 21, 2025 |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rob Bonta (incumbent) | ||||
| Republican | Michael Gates | ||||
| Total votes | |||||
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (February 5, 2025). "Rob Bonta is keeping his day job". Politico. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Dates and Deadlines". Close the Gap California. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ↑ Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (2025-12-17). "Meet the crypto billionaire hedging his bets for governor". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ↑ Jones, Blake; Gardiner, Dustin; Norman, Nicole (December 11, 2025). "The shadow campaign for attorney general kicks into gear". Politico. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ Jones, Blake; Gardiner, Dustin (January 5, 2026). "Maduro's capture seeps into the midterms". Politico. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ↑ Fry, Hannah (January 14, 2025). "Former Huntington Beach city attorney, a Newsom critic, to run for state attorney general". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ↑ "2026 California Primary Notice to Candidates - Attorney General" (PDF). California Secretary of State. March 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Endorsements". California Faculty Association. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Labor 2026 Primary Election Endorsements". California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
- ↑ "California endorsements". National Nurses United. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ↑ "LA County Federation of Labor Endorsements". The LA Fed. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS". SEIU California. Archived from the original on February 22, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ↑ "SEIU-UHW 2026 Primary Election Endorsements". SEIU United Healthcare Workers West. Archived from the original on February 8, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 California Endorsements" (PDF). Teamsters Joint Council 42. September 18, 2025. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ↑ "Endorsements". Asian American Action Fund. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
- ↑ Lantz, Ashley; Brown, Kris (August 27, 2025). "Brady PAC Endorses California Attorney General Rob Bonta". Brady PAC. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
- ↑ "2026 EnviroVoters Endorsement List". California Environmental Voters. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
- ↑ "Equality California Election Center: Below are our endorsements for the 2026 Midterm Election". Equality California. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Rob Bonta". giffords.org. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California [@ppactionca] (April 16, 2025). "PPAC is proud to strongly endorse Rob Bonta for his re-election as Attorney General of California". Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Instagram.
- ↑ "2025 Endorsements - SCC Political Committee". Sierra Club California. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ↑ Simpson, Jane. "Endorsements". Sierra Club Angeles Chapter. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ↑ "2026 November Stonewall Endorsed Candidates". Stonewall Democratic Club. Archived from the original on January 26, 2026. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Primary election Endorsements" (PDF). Retrieved April 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Editorial: Recommendations for CA offices". Bay Area Reporter. May 6, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
- ↑ "In the California attorney general election, only one candidate is qualified | Opinion". The Sacramento Bee. April 25, 2026. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Endorsement: Attorney general is California's top cop. There's only one candidate worth considering". San Francisco Chronicle. May 14, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
- ↑ "The Examiner endorses Rob Bonta for state attorney general". San Francisco Examiner. May 25, 2026. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
- ↑ "The Ballot: Who We're Recommending For on June 2". Sun-Reporter. May 12, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Garofoli, Joe (January 16, 2026). "A Trump culture warrior enters the race for California attorney general". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ↑ Republican Party, California (April 12, 2026). "The California Republican Party has endorsed @MichaelGatesESQ for California Attorney General". Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ City, News Service (April 12, 2026). "State Republicans fail to endorse candidate for governor". ABC10 News San Diego. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- 1 2 "Left Unity has begun for the June 2026 primary election". December 18, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
- ↑ Weber, Shirley (July 10, 2026). "Complete Statement of Vote" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 11, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ↑ Weber, Shirley (July 10, 2026). "Attorney General by County" (PDF). Secretary of State of California. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ↑ "State Attorneys General: The Top Races to be "Top Cop"". Sabato's Crystal Ball. August 21, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
External links
[edit]Official campaign websites