California Election Preview 2026: Governor’s Race, Trump’s Impact, Taxes, AI & San Mateo County’s Future

About this episode

Mark Simon and Bob Marks discuss the upcoming California primary election with a panel of experts.

Days before California's 2026 primary, Mark Simon and Bob Marks convene a power panel to break down everything on the ballot. Congressman Kevin Mullin, San Mateo Daily Journal Editor Jon Mays, and Central Labor Council Executive Director Julie Lind join the show for a wide-ranging conversation on the governor's race, voter anger, low turnout, the billionaire tax, Bay Area transit funding, AI and the future of work, and key local races in San Mateo County. Is anger driving this election, or is it fear? Who survives the governor's primary after Swalwell's dramatic exit? Can Tom Steyer buy his way into the top two? And what does San Mateo County look like a decade from now? Guests: Congressman Kevin Mullin (CA-15) Jon Mays, Editor, San Mateo Daily Journal Julie Lind, Executive Director, San Mateo County Central Labor Council Topics covered: Voter anger, fear, and low primary turnout California governor's race: Becerra vs. Steyer vs. Hilton The Swalwell fallout and its impact on the Democratic field Redistricting, the Voting Rights Act, and political polarization The California billionaire wealth tax Bay Area regional transit funding and the messaging problem AI, automation, and the…

People in this episode

Hosts: Mark Simon, Bob Marks

Guests: Kevin Mullin, Jon Mays, Julie Lind

Topics covered

• California governor's race
• voter anger
• billionaire tax
• Bay Area transit funding
• AI and the future of work
• low primary turnout
• political polarization

Keywords

• California election
• 2026 primary
• governor's race
• voter turnout
• billionaire tax
• AI
• San Mateo County

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: San Mateo Daily Journal, San Mateo County Central Labor Council

Places: California, San Mateo County

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