A crowded field could cause havoc. Photo: David Crane/MediaNews Group/Getty Images Early in the 2026 California gubernatorial race, talk of a Republican becoming governor of the very blue state was mostly a negative commentary on a less than dazzling Democratic field and on the quirks of the nonpartisan top-two primary system. Now, just two months before the primary and a month before mail ballots begin being cast, the possibility of two Republicans facing off in the general election is