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With Kamala Harris out of the picture, the once-sleepy California gubernatorial race is suddenly buzzing. Donors are opening up their wallets, Democratic infighting is brewing and Republicans are scrambling to revise a strategy they planned to run against the former vice president.
For now, former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter is the frontrunner, but the race is still wide open. Most voters are undecided, and few of the declared candidates have much in the way of name recognition. The next governor of the largest state in the country — occupying a position that will likely launch a Democrat to a new level of national prominence as a primary antagonist of President Donald Trump — could be, well, just about anyone.
With politics-watchers from Sacramento to Washington reeling from the uncertainty, we decided to indulge in a little game of fantasy football — or fantasy California governor, if you will. We asked journalists, academics, political operatives and other experts from inside and outside our newsroom who would be the ideal candidate, even if they never would — or even legally could — make a bid in real life. Could it be a tested West Coast politician, like San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan? A beloved superstar with a global following, like Oprah Winfrey? Or is Pedro Pascal’s next big role a real-life political thriller? Here are the candidates of your dreams.
The Hollywood Picks
Denzel Washington
movie star
If Republicans want to be competitive in California again, they’ll need a candidate who is instantly recognizable and genuinely admired across the state. Denzel Washington checks both boxes. For decades, audiences have seen him play principled leaders in Remember the Titans and decisive commanders in Crimson Tide, roles that showcased the unity, strength and integrity that people still hope to see in real-life leadership. Off-screen, he’s earned a reputation for professionalism, generosity and grace under pressure — qualities that could resonate far beyond party lines. The last Republican to win the governor’s office, Arnold Schwarzenegger, used his celebrity to cut through partisan divides. Washington’s stature could do the same, perhaps even more effectively. At 70, he’s younger than Joe Biden was on his Inauguration Day and the same age as Donald Trump in 2016 — well within the modern range for executive leadership. A candidacy like his could change the conversation in California overnight. — Jon Fleischman, founder of the FlashReport and former executive director of the California Republican Party
Danny Trejo
movie star
I don’t deal in fantasy. I’m a realist. And that’s why my choice for governor is the same choice I had for U.S. Senator in 2020: Danny Trejo. Americans want strongmen right now — and who’s more badass than Machete? Plus, he checks off several boxes that will appeal to Californians: small-business owner, tatted, sober, an author, not a Republican, always up to help the downtrodden and fiercely loyal to his native Golden State. — Gustavo Arellano, columnist for the Los Angeles Times
Rob Reiner
Filmmaker
California needs a gutsy fighter to take on Donald Trump and Republicans, and to make some tough choices that might anger portions of the base. Katie Porter checks the boxes. But if I could hand-pick a candidate, I would choose Rob Reiner, who is far more than just a brilliant filmmaker. Among other things, he is responsible for the initiative that funded early childhood education through taxes on tobacco companies — a double benefit. He has been deeply involved in politics and policy, has great values and is a superb communicator. In general, I am not a fan of non-politicians as elected officials, with Donald Trump as the cringeworthy poster child. But Rob knows the differences between the private sector and governance, and he knows how to run a complex organization. Based on the savvy judgement we’ve seen from him in the past, he would bring the right people around him to implement good ideas. — Norman Ornstein, retired scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-host of the Words Matter podcast
Pedro Pascal
movie star
California has a fantastic choice for governor — Pedro Pascal, who lives in Los Angeles and plays the role of Reed Richards, the science nerd and leader of the Fantastic Four, in the new Disney movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pascal has sound political instincts. After President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance mauled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office this past February, Pascal posted on Instagram, “Stay on the right side of history. Glory to Ukraine.” At the same time, Pascal, whose family fled Chilean repression, has denounced the demonization of immigrants. Defending the Golden State from Trump’s attacks should be child’s play for someone who, in the face of terrifying odds, figured out how to defeat the planet-devouring Galactus. Above all, his close buddy and teammate, The Thing, has already provided him with a winning campaign slogan: It’s clobberin’ time! — Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest
The Retirees
Jerry Brown
former California governor
If the number-one requirement for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s successor is someone who isn’t simply angling for the next big thing, Californians could do worse than going for the old, familiar choice — quite literally. That’s right, California’s perpetual governor or governor-to-be, Jerry Brown. He’s both old and familiar.
At nearly 88, Brown is actually more than a decade older than the Olds 88 (which were introduced in 1949). That’s young for a California Redwood but on the older side for a California human. In a state with its fair share of aging politicians, that’s a negative. But while Brown has run not once, not twice, but three times for president, you can bet he sure as hell isn’t going to do it again. For Californians, that’s a positive. If Brown were to leave retirement and corgis to be elected to a fifth term — which isn’t happening, but still — he’d focus on the state’s problems in the here and now. Less online bickering and performative preening than Newsom for sure. And, also, less hair gel. — Joe Eskenazi is the managing editor and columnist at Mission Local
Pete Wilson
Former California governor
Gov. Newsom is currently tinkering with the California Constitution through reapportionment. Why not go further? Go for it and repeal term limits for former governors so that we can bring back Pete Wilson. He’s tan, he’s rested AND he is ready. Gov. Wilson started his governorship with a massive budget deficit, a serious crime problem and a need for healthcare, immigration and welfare reform — sound familiar? Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor and lieutenant governor, 2026! — Sean Walsh, former White House staffer for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and senior policy advisor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Willie L. Brown Jr.
Former Speaker of the California State Assembly
He already knows Sacramento from his historic speakership, he’s one of the few Californians who could just as easily call Hakeem Jeffries or Donald Trump and he knows people all over the world in politics, business and show business. Oh, and at 91, he won’t be afraid to take on any sacred constituency. And he would look damn fine on the job. To paraphrase the old Ed Koch line: After eight years of charisma, why not try the clotheshorse? — Jonathan Martin, politics bureau chief and a senior political columnist at POLITICO
The Sacramento Set
Xavier Becerra
Democratic candidate for governor
There’s no need to look for a fantasy dream candidate because one is already running for the job: Xavier Becerra. Californians need to believe that our institutions — government, the private sector, civil society — can work together to solve the big problems our communities face: housing affordability, the cost of living, educational access, health care, the impacts of climate change and others. Making that happen requires tenacity, deep and broad knowledge and grit. This work is not sexy; it’s kind of nerdy. And at heart, Becerra is a policy nerd. He likes to know the details, to understand the core of problems and to work with others to find solutions. He did that in Congress, as California’s attorney general and while serving as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. He comes from a humble background, which gives him profound empathy for those in need. He’s not flashy, but is the kind of leader we need to renew our faith in our democratic institutions and in one another. — Lisa García Bedolla, political scientist at University of California, Berkeley
Steven Bradford
Former California state senator
By California standards, Steven Bradford isn’t a glamorous choice for governor — a dedicated career public servant from the working class SoCal town of Gardena, without a whiff of celebrity. But his trajectory makes total sense for this perilous moment, and for our future. Bradford’s nearly 15 years in the state legislature included a stint as chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, and then a member of the historic state reparations committee, the first state-level Black reparations committee in the country. He remains close to the process of making the committee’s 100-plus recommendations law.
In the Trump era of open racial hostility, we need someone who can keep the cause of Black justice not just alive but on track, not least because the deep-rooted racism detailed in the committee’s report (and in other reports around the country) is exactly what’s been rotting the foundation of democracy for the last 10 years. Bradford combines passion for that cause with political experience and savvy in getting people together and getting things done. He’s running for state insurance commissioner — a thankless but crucial post as profit-minded insurance companies continue to flee California or reduce coverage, especially as wildfires increase. It’s admirable of Bradford to enter that fray, but it’s a narrow one. His steadily evolving vision for a fair and just California could be better used as governor, and like so many other things here, his tenure could provide a model of leadership for other states desperately looking for a way out of the Trump quagmire. — Erin Aubry Kaplan, Los Angeles journalist
Rob Bonta
California Attorney General
California’s ideal governor must stand ready on day one to effectively and creatively defend our state’s values and our people’s safety against federal hostility. We need a savvy leader who understands that the traditional playbook fails when institutions are under assault and Republicans are rigging the game. We should ask ourselves: What leader can meet this moment?
Now would be an ideal time for Attorney General Rob Bonta to reconsider his gubernatorial run. He has used a slew of legal strategies and court decisions to beat back many of the Trump administration’s attacks. What’s more, he is a standout in a field of Democrats who have had a largely tepid and ineffectual response to ICE roundups, cuts to university funding and so on. Plus, this Democratic supermajority state needs a candidate who can win statewide, not split up votes and hand the reins to a Republican. If the response to Newsom standing up to Trump and playing the redistricting game shows anything, it is that the next governor should be a fighter who will maintain our vision of inclusion, environmental protection and economic opportunity, even as national politics becomes increasingly untenable. — Aimee Allison, founder and president of She the People, political organization empowering women of color
The Wild Cards
Rem Koolhaas
Dutch architect
Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas has a star-crossed record in California, with his firm’s abandoned efforts (a controversial renovation of the LA County Museum of Art) overshadowing its only completed project (a nearby annex at Wilshire Boulevard Temple). California should consider giving Koolhaas his biggest commission yet: Devise an aesthetic sensibility for the state’s YIMBY revolution.
California is about to start an overdue building boom by making it easier for developers to erect homes that can address the state’s persistent housing shortage. The boldest thinking about this transformative political moment has thus far come from policy analysts — including those associated with the so-called Abundance movement — who argue California’s progressive aims have been undermined by its restrictive zoning rules, labor standards and environmental reviews. But they have little to say about what this means for how California should look. It’s time to push aside the technocrats and make room for architects in Sacramento. There is no one better for the job than Koolhaas, whose wide-ranging 1978 book Delirious New York introduced a “retroactive manifesto” for a “factory of man-made experience, where the real and the natural ceased to exist.” Koolhaas’ “Manhattanism,” which exalted the grid that forced the borough to grow upward and inward, offered the keenest interpretation of what made New York’s built environment special. Now he can define a new vernacular — both visual and verbal — for the Golden State’s density era. — Sasha Issenberg, POLITICO California ballot measures editor
Sam Altman
CEO of OpenAI
Candidates will be trying over the coming months to get inside the minds of a divided California electorate — but Sam Altman is already there. From his ChatGPT AI bot studying humans to become more life-like each day to his crypto project Worldcoin scanning eyeballs across the world, his companies likely have a much deeper perspective on how voters tick than even the most veteran pollsters. The tech billionaire also has similar skills as Newsom that may come in handy: Like the current governor, he survived a rare ouster attempt, making a swift comeback after a brief boardroom removal.
And it would help notch another win in his rivalry with former business partner Elon Musk. Temporary role in the White House? How about a four-year term running the world’s fourth largest economy? Plus there’s no other surefire way to ensure your AI model secures more government contracts and widespread use. And lest you think this is some kind of pipedream: Altman flirted with a run for governor in 2018, before backing away and pledging to back a slate of candidates for office. — Emma Anderson, POLITICO California tech editor
Steve Kerr
Gold State Warriors coach
There’s one potential chief executive far from the Hollywood glitterati who embodies many if not most of the qualities essential to the job: Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors for the last 12 years. He comes with a long history of winning: five rings as an NBA player, a record as the most proficient three-point shooter of his generation, four championships with the Warriors and an Olympic gold medal. But what makes Kerr a worthy candidate extends far beyond the basketball court.
Public service is in his blood. His grandfather volunteered to aid victims of the Armenian genocide. His father and mother were both middle eastern specialists, and he spent years living in Lebanon, Egypt and other countries in the region. His father served as president of the American University in Beirut, where he was assassinated in 1984 by members of the Islamic Jihad. Kerr himself does not shy away from confronting the realities of the world: After the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Kerr devoted a post-game press conference to a wrenching plea for action. Plus, his ability to deal with the confounding mix of talent and combustive temper that is Draymond Green alone suggests the capacity to handle Nobel Peace Prize-winning negotiations. If Democrats want a candidate who is far from the stultified world of party politics, who is comfortable with newer forms of communication and who brings a sense of calm, patient leadership to his work, they would be hard-pressed to find a better choice. And before you scoff at his work credentials remember: Tommy Tuberville, former head football coach at Auburn University, is a U.S. Senator. — Jeff Greenfield, television journalist and author
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