Betty Yee suspends California governor bid, cites weak polling and turbulent race

Betty Yee suspended her campaign for California governor on Monday after internal polling showed that her pitch about experience and competence was not gaining enough traction to win. Just hours before the announcement, Yee gave an emotional interview and said she no longer saw a viable path forward in what she called an "unpredictable and turbulent" race.

Yee’s exit, coming just over a week after Eric Swalwell left the contest after sexual assault allegations he denies, narrows an already crowded Democratic field in the state’s 2026 governor’s race. Yee entered the race in 2024 and had been trying to break through as a former California state controller and San Francisco native who could become the first woman to hold the state’s highest office. Instead, she struggled to raise money, attract sustained media attention and move beyond the lower tier of the campaign.

The numbers told the same story. In one Emerson College poll, Yee was at about 1.4 percent support. Another early April survey put her at 2 percent. Yee said the decision was based on internal polling, not pressure from party leaders, and she had also criticized what she saw as "shame polls" that reduce a race to surface-level momentum rather than a candidate’s governing record.

Her departure also highlights how California’s political machinery can make major statewide races difficult to enter, even for well-known Democrats. State party chair Rusty Hicks warned that a crowded field could split the vote and open a path for two Republicans to advance under the state’s top-two primary system, which California has used for governor since 2014. None of the three previous gubernatorial elections under that system sent two candidates from the same party to the general election.

The calendar now moves quickly. California’s primary is set for June 2, 2026, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026. Elections officials were set to begin mailing primary ballots on May 4. Yee was still expected to appear on the ballot despite suspending her campaign, leaving her name in front of voters even as her bid effectively ended.