Rob Bonta is in the news as one of the Democrats in a crowded 2026 California governor’s race with no clear front-runner, which party leaders fear could split the vote and let two Republicans advance under the top-two primary system. The California Democratic Party is responding by funding a series of polls starting March 24 to show where candidates stand and potentially push lower-polling contenders to reconsider staying in. Efforts by party leadership to persuade candidates to drop out have largely failed, and the race remains unsettled after candidates pitched their platforms at the state party convention without anyone winning an endorsement.