California finds itself in a unique political moment with the governorship becoming an open seat for the first time in more than a decade. With Governor Gavin Newsom barred by

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla said he will not run for California governor in 2026, ending speculation that he might seek to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom when his term ends.

KTLA — U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla says he won’t be running to succeed Gavin Newsom as the next governor of California. Padilla, one of California’s two legislators in the U.S. Senate alongside Adam Schiff, made the announcement on Tuesday after months of speculation regarding his plans for the future.

Alex Padilla will stay in the U.S. Senate and not run for California governor.The California senator confirmed he planned to sit out the governor’s race in comments to reporters

California's governor surged to the top of the Democratic pile by trolling Trump, but now comes the hard part of beating the president with voters.

In a wide-ranging interview with NBC News, the California governor slammed the GOP-controlled Congress and the Supreme Court for bowing to Trump.

President Trump and Department of Defense Secretary Hegseth transferred 4,000 members of California’s National Guard—one in three of the Guard’s total active members—to federal control to serve in a civilian law enforcement role on the streets of Los Angeles and other communities in Southern California.

By Bo Erickson (Reuters) -Voters in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and California will cast ballots on Tuesday for a mayor, two governors and a redistricting measure - early tests of Democratic and Republican strategies ahead of next year's congressional midterm election.