
California Governor’s Race Heats Up | Midterms, Billionaire Tax & San Mateo County Elections
From The Game by Mark Simon and Bob Marks
May 22, 2026 · 46 min · Episode 29
About this episode
Mark Simon and Bob Marks discuss the California governor's race, polling trends, and key issues affecting the upcoming elections.
With just days remaining before California voters head to the polls, Mark Simon and Bob Marks break down the increasingly unpredictable race for governor, the latest polling trends, and what could determine who advances to November. They examine the campaigns of Antonio Villaraigosa, Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, and other contenders, along with the impact of money, endorsements, and voter turnout. The conversation also explores California’s biggest challenges facing the next governor—including AI regulation, insurance markets, wildfire policy, water resources, and the state’s ongoing relationship with the Trump administration. Mark and Bob then shift to national politics, discussing President Trump’s declining approval ratings, congressional tensions, the Iran conflict, inflation, gas prices, and what the early signs suggest for the upcoming midterm elections. Closer to home, they analyze several important San Mateo County races, including contests for Board of Supervisors, Assessor-Clerk-Recorder-Elections Chief, Superintendent of Schools, and Board of Equalization. They also discuss the proposed billionaire tax, transit funding challenges, local tax measures, housing development…
People in this episode
Hosts: Mark Simon, Bob Marks
Topics covered
- California Governor's Race
- Midterm Elections
- Polling Trends
- San Mateo County Elections
- National Politics
- Billionaire Tax
- Voter Turnout
Keywords
- California politics
- governor race
- midterms
- polling
- voter turnout
- San Mateo County
- billionaire tax
- national issues
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Trump administration, San Mateo County, Board of Supervisors, Assessor-Clerk-Recorder-Elections Chief, Superintendent of Schools, Board of Equalization, BravoITC.com, YourTechMakeover.com
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- Joe Cotchett on Taking on Elon Musk, AI Dangers, and the Future of American Democracy · April 25, 2026 · 59 min
- War, Gas Prices & Midterms: Is Trump on the Brink? | March Political Roundup · March 27, 2026 · 48 min
- Congressman Kevin Mullin on the Iran War, Voting Rights, California's Wild Governor's Race & More · March 20, 2026 · 58 min
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