Ro Khanna delivers real influence for Silicon Valley — a five-term congressman who won reelection comfortably in 2024, sits on key committees including the China competition select committee, and brings a national platform and clout to CA-17.

He fights for a fairer economy — he's championed a billionaire wealth tax alongside Bernie Sanders and built a progressive economic record, while staying engaged with the industry that drives the district.

The questions about his family's stock trading are fair — reporting has documented heavy trading and potential conflicts, and that scrutiny is legitimate. But weigh it against a decade of effective representation versus a first-time challenger who was running for governor until a few months ago. On balance, experience and a clear economic vision win out.

Xavier Becerra brings rare depth of experience to the top job — a Sacramento native who's served as California Attorney General, a U.S. House member, and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, where he helped lead the national COVID response and defended the Affordable Care Act.

He's running on competence and affordability — his closing message centers on steady, experienced crisis management, with a focus on the housing, healthcare, and childcare costs squeezing working families. As he puts it, "competence is cool."

The "career politician" knock is fair — and beside the point. Critics note he's spent decades in government rather than the private sector, and that's a legitimate preference to weigh. But in a turbulent moment, that same long record is exactly the experience navigating crises that the governor's office demands — and it's why he currently leads the primary field.

• Fiona Ma knows how California actually works — as State Treasurer she ran the state’s banking, financing, and bond programs, after serving in the Assembly and on the Board of Equalization.
• The job draws on exactly that experience — breaking ties in the state Senate, sitting on the UC and CSU boards, and standing ready to step in for the Governor.
• The Mercury News endorsed her as the candidate who “understands the levers of power.” In a crowded field, she’s the one who already knows the machinery.

Bonta is the proven shield for California — 50+ lawsuits defending us against federal overreach on immigration, healthcare, and reproductive rights, plus real enforcement of housing laws and protections against fraud and Big Tech.
Gates would flip the office — a former Trump DOJ official who built his career suing California over its own policies.

It’s a clear choice: an AG who fights for Californians, not one who imports a national culture war.

Shirley Weber knows how to run California’s elections — she oversaw the rollout of permanent universal mail-in voting and administered high-stakes elections including the Newsom recall, and she’s pledged to expand voting access and strengthen election cybersecurity in a second term.

Is California’s ballot-counting slow? Yes — and that’s a fair criticism. But speed isn’t the only thing that matters. Access means eligible voters can actually cast a ballot without hurdles; security means those votes are protected and accurately counted. A rushed count that disenfranchises voters or cuts corners on verification isn’t a fix — getting it right matters more than getting it fast, and that’s the tradeoff Weber prioritizes.

Her opponent would take the office the other direction — Don Wagner runs on a Trump-aligned “election integrity” platform and, as an Orange County supervisor, pushed to hand sensitive voter data to Trump’s DOJ. This is the office that decides how we vote.