Tom Steyer drops ballot at San Francisco City Hall before primary

San Francisco City Hall became one of the closing-stage markers in California’s governor’s race when Tom Steyer dropped off his ballot there, a symbolic move that showed how much candidates still want the city’s attention before the June 2 primary. In a crowded field, the Bay Area was not just a stopover. It was where contenders tried to signal credibility with Democratic voters, labor leaders and Chinese American communities as the campaign entered its final stretch.

The city’s role was especially visible because Steyer also appeared in Chinatown with former candidate Betty Yee, hosted by Chinese Hospital, while Steve Hilton held a San Francisco town hall. Xavier Becerra spent time at a firefighters’ union hall, another reminder that organized labor remains a major test of strength in Democratic politics. Elsewhere in the region, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan was campaigning in the South Bay. For San Francisco, the pattern matters because City Hall and union halls still function as political stages even in a statewide race.

The governor’s contest is unusually open. Gavin Newsom is term-limited, and California has not had a wide-open primary for governor since 1998. Ballotpedia said 61 candidates were running in the June 2 top-two primary, with 24 Democrats, 12 Republicans and 23 no-party-preference candidates on the ballot. Under California’s system, the two highest vote-getters move on to the November general election regardless of party, a structure the state has used for governor since 2014.

The stakes go well beyond one election cycle. KQED said the next governor will inherit a structural deficit projected to reach $35 billion in a few years, along with persistent housing and gasoline affordability problems, homelessness and wildfire risk. It also noted that California has sued the federal government more than 60 times since Donald Trump returned to office, underscoring how much the governor’s office now serves as the state’s main political counterweight to Washington.

For San Francisco voters, the late-hour campaigning is a reminder to watch the issues candidates emphasize here: housing, public safety, transit and cost of living. Ballots were already arriving in mailboxes across the region, and ABC7 reported that some San Mateo County elections officials said roughly 95% to 96% of ballots cast there are vote-by-mail in some elections. Voters had until May 18 to register to vote-by-mail and can still vote in person through June 2, making the last days of the Bay Area push part of the final test of turnout and momentum.