California primary tests voter anger in crowded governor’s race

California’s crowded governor’s primary will test whether voter anger turns into turnout, and whether Democrats can keep a fragmented field from handing Republicans an opening in a state that often previews national intraparty fights. Governor Gavin Newsom is term-limited, leaving an open race for an office that controls roughly $300 billion and governs about 39 million people.

The June 2 statewide primary uses California’s nonpartisan top-two system, which puts all candidates on the same ballot and sends the top two vote-getters to the November 3 general election if no one wins a majority. California adopted the system for governor in 2014, and none of the three previous gubernatorial top-two primaries sent two candidates from the same party into November. That history is why this year’s contest is drawing intense attention: Democrats risk splitting their vote among multiple candidates while Republicans are more concentrated around fewer front-runners.

The governor’s field is unusually crowded. State officials certified a list that includes 10 candidates for governor, with Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter and Tom Steyer among eight Democrats and two Republicans. Reporting ahead of the vote described 61 hopefuls on the primary ballot overall, underscoring how large and unwieldy the ballot has become as voters weigh more than one major race at once.

Election officials have also been working through a calendar designed to push participation as high as possible. Same-day voter registration remained available through Election Day, secure ballot drop-off locations opened on May 5, counties began mailing ballots to most voters by May 4, and military and overseas voters could receive ballots as early as April 3. The state’s voter guide says the top two candidates advance to November if no one clears a majority in June.

The governor’s race is the marquee contest, but California voters are also choosing U.S. House nominees under a new congressional map approved by voters. That makes the primary a broader stress test for the state’s political mood, with turnout, issue salience and frustration with incumbents likely to matter as much as the final vote count.