Republican Jon Slavet announced on Thursday he will join a crowded field of hopefuls aiming to become California’s next governor. California, the nation's most populous state, is reliably Democratic. It hasn't elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger served between 2003 and 2011. A Republican candidate, Chad Bianco, is currently in the lead ahead of California's gubernatorial primary election in 2026 on 13 percent of the vote, a new poll has found. He is followed by Republican