Only two finishers will go on to November out of these six top contestants: From left, John Cox, John Chiang, Antonio Villaraigosa, Gavin Newsom, Travis Allen, and Delaine Eastin.

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HE OPEN-SEAT race to replace Gov. Jerry Brown has drawn a crowded field of candidates who represent a cross-section of California politics in 2018, from liberal leaders to conservative firebrands. They’re fighting to take the reins of a state on much steadier financial footing than when Brown returned to the office for a second two-term shift eight years ago — but one facing persistent housing shortages, gaping income inequality, and a fractious relationship with the federal government. The primary campaign has been shaped by the ongoing face-off between California politicians and President Donald Trump, the complicated political calculus of the top-two primary system, and millions of dollars in outside political spending. So far, that’s added up to a hard-fought contest for what some Golden State residents like to call the second most important job in the country.

Who’s running?

Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom Gavin Newsom (D) The frontrunner is Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and the former mayor of San Francisco, who’s staked out one of the most liberal policy platforms of any leading candidate for California’s top job in years. Newsom has highlighted his advocacy for progressive touchstones such as same-sex marriage and gun control to sell himself as the most forward-thinking candidate in the race. ‍

Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Newsom’s most formidable Democratic rival is former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who’s argued that his experience running California’s largest city makes him the best prepared for the governor’s mansion. He’s played up his record of building transit, schools and affordable housing in L.A., while describing himself as more of an independent voice than the labor-backed Newsom. ‍

Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group State Treasurer John Chiang John Chiang (D) Also in the running is State Treasurer John Chiang, who’s tried to find a niche as the adult in the room with a record as a solid financial manager for the state.

RANDY VAZQUEZ/ BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Former State Superintendent of Public Education Delaine Eastin Delaine Eastin (D) Former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, probably the most liberal candidate, has made a splash in debates with pithy one-liners but trailed in polls.

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File Businessman John Cox John Cox (R) On the Republican side, the party establishment has consolidated around John Cox, a San Diego County businessman, who has made the case that a Republican can win in California by focusing on economic issues even as he takes conservative policy stances. Cox, who is endorsed by President Trump, loves to bash politics and politicians -- although he’s previously run for office several times, including a long-shot bid for president.

Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group State Assemblyman Travis Allen Travis Allen (R) Also in the running is Assemblyman Travis Allen, an Orange County financial planner and avowed surfer, who fires up crowds with red meat rhetoric on immigration and criminal justice and has attracted a slice of deeply conservative voters disgusted with California’s turn to the left. ‍

In addition to these top six, there will be another 21 people on the ballot. The broader cast of characters includes Amanda Renteria, a former Hillary Clinton aide from the Central Valley, Michael Shellenberger, an environmental advocate who’s called for tripling the rate of homebuilding, and Zoltan Istvan, a “transhumanist” activist who wants the state to invest in life-extension technology.

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What are the big issues?

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez A demonstrator shouts slogans through a bullhorn outside of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in San Francisco on Wednesday. The Democratic candidates have opposed President Trump’s immigration policies, while the Republicans have backed them. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli The Democratic candidates are divided on the issue of single-payer health care, which animated protests by California nurses at the State Capitol last summer.

Trump and gas tax

The contest so far has focused more on the candidates’ personalities and records than real differences in policy. All of the Democrats support California’s “sanctuary state” bill, while the Republicans want to repeal it. The Democrats back the recently enacted gas tax hike, while the Republicans rail against it. And the Democrats vow to be a bulwark against the Trump administration, while the Republicans say they support and want to work with the president. Health care

The Democratic candidates have spent a lot of time bickering over single-payer health care. Newsom and Eastin back a controversial state bill that would start the process of creating a single-payer system, although they say it’s imperfect and they wouldn’t sign it without more work. Villaraigosa and Chiang oppose the bill because of its sky-high cost, although they say they support the concept of single-payer health care. That’s led Newsom to call Villaraigosa a “defeatist Democrat” and Villaraigosa to respond that Newsom is selling “snake oil.” Charter schools

There’s also a divergence over charter schools. Newsom, Eastin and Chiang have voiced skepticism about charters, while Villaraigosa was a strong supporter of charters as mayor.

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli None of the candidates are quite as enthusiastic as Gov. Jerry Brown about high-speed rail, with the Republicans opposing it and Democrats voicing skepticism about its costs.

Delta tunnels and high-speed rail

‍As for Gov. Brown’s pet projects, none of the candidates back Brown’s Delta twin tunnels proposal to send water from Northern California to Southern California, instead calling for a single tunnel option or scrapping the idea altogether. The Democrats generally support Brown’s proposal for a bullet train linking Los Angeles and San Francisco, but with reservations and skepticism about escalating costs. The Republicans vow to derail it.



#MeToo movement

‍The #MeToo movement has also played a role. Both Newsom and Villaraigosa have faced attacks over their extramarital affairs when they were mayors of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Allen also faced accusations this year that he made a woman uncomfortable in the legislature.

Who’s got the money

In campaign spending, Newsom has a clear financial advantage. But a wave of outside money supporting Villaraigosa has eaten away at that. A pro-charter school group has spent more than $16 million to support Villaraigosa. It has received donations from prominent charter school supporters like former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and L.A. philanthropist Eli Broad. Another group backed by police unions also launched this month.

“Villaraigosa has literally wiped out Newsom’s financial advantage in one fell swoop with the independent expenditures, even though Newsom has been raising money for eight years in this race,” said Garry South, a Los Angeles political consultant who has run campaigns for both politicians in the past. “It’s a big deal.” Outside money has also lined up behind Newsom. Independent campaigns backing him have spent nearly $5 million from labor unions like SEIU and the California Nurses Association. And other groups are both supporting and attacking Chiang, on a much smaller scale. The independent groups aren’t allowed to coordinate with the campaigns, but they may rake in unlimited donations. Among Republicans, Cox has far outpaced Allen, thanks in part to his willingness to spend more than $4 million of his own money on his campaign.

What do the polls say? The top two candidates in the primary, regardless of party affiliation, will move on to the November general election. And so far, the governor’s campaign has been a race for second; Newsom has led every reputable public poll. At the end of last year, Villaraigosa was in a strong second place, and almost neck-and-neck with Newsom. But the latest polls have shown him falling behind the Republican candidates, with Cox second in most polls and Allen close behind. Chiang and Eastin have struggled to raise their numbers.

Who are the big backers?

Several of the state’s biggest unions, including SEIU, the California Teachers Association, the California Nurses Association, and the California Labor Federation, have endorsed Newsom, although other smaller labor groups have backed Villaraigosa and Chiang. Villaraigosa, meanwhile, has the support of several law enforcement groups and charter schools advocates.



Neither state party endorsed a candidate. Several of the state’s top political figures, including Gov. Jerry Brown, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have stayed on the sidelines so far, although Sen. Kamala Harris has backed Newsom.



Cox won a key endorsement from President Trump, and also has the support of more of the state's party establishment, including House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

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Any ads I should look out for?

Many of the top candidates — as well as their independent supporters — have filled the airwaves in recent weeks, with both positive introductory spots and vicious attack ads. Some of the more controversial spots have included a pro-Cox group connecting Newsom and Villaraigosa’s infidelities to the #MeToo movement, misleadingly comparing consensual affairs to the allegations of rape by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Chiang’s campaign also hit Villaraigosa for alleged financial mismanagement in Los Angeles, without mentioning that the city’s financial woes came during the Great Recession, when many other municipalities also faced budget crises.

And the pro-Villaraigosa independent campaign has aired an ad featuring former President Barack Obama lauding Villaraigosa — even though Obama hasn't endorsed in the race.

Both Newsom’s campaign and the pro-Villaraigosa group have targeted Cox — although for different reasons. Newsom’s ad highlighted Cox’s opposition to gun control measures, an issue which helps him with conservative voters and was regarded as a fairly clear attempt to boost Cox into the second spot of the primary. The pro-Villaraigosa ad, on the other hand, focused on the fact that Cox had run for election a half-dozen times in Illinois and lost, aiming to cut his support and help Villaraigosa make it into the top two.

What’s the bigger picture?

The results of the June 5 primary for governor will shape some of the key congressional races in California that could decide the House of Representatives nationally. Just as in the Senate race, California could see a Democrat-on-Democrat runoff, the first in modern history for the state’s top job. That might make some GOP voters sit out the election, boosting Democrats’ chances in lower-ballot races up and down the state. Republican officials, meanwhile, are hoping that their voters coalesce around Cox or Allen, giving them a standard-bearer in November. "Turnout is really driven by the top of the ticket," South said. "It’s devastating for Republicans if they don't end up with a candidate in the governor’s race." The winner, who will lead what would be the world’s fifth-largest economy if California was its own country, will also determine the course of the state’s relationship with the Trump administration. If a Democrat wins, expect the war of words between Sacramento and Washington to continue just as strongly as it has over the past year and a half.

Sources: California Secretary of State, Historical Voter Registration and Participation in Statewide General Elections 1910–2014, and Historical Voter Registration and Participation in Statewide Primary Elections 1914–2014. PPIC Statewide Surveys from March and May 2015 including 3,412 California adults.