California's 3rd Congressional District Race Pits Longtime Politician Against Progressive Newcomer

Here are the morning’s top stories on Thursday, May 28, 2026

• This week, we’ve been looking at the rise of “generational change candidates” in Democratic primaries. That’s a politician who has positioned themselves as a fresh, modern alternative to long-term incumbents. Think passing the torch to Millennials or Gen Z who are more focused on climate and health care for all.  Well, Prop 50, the ballot measure voters passed in November. has opened up an opportunity for one of those change candidates to emerge in the race for Congressional District 3, which stretches from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe. 
• A new poll shows Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are leading the still very crowded field for California Governor. 
• Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill providing some additional protections for California election workers and voters. 

In redrawn 3rd congressional district, Democrats take different approach in appeal to voters

California’s newly redrawn 3rd Congressional District now covers Nevada, El Dorado and parts of Placer and Sacramento counties. The district seat is currently held by Rep. Kevin Kiley. But after redistricting, Kiley, who was a Republican, is now running as an Independent in the 6th District.

That’s left the door open for a number of candidates. Two in particular are taking a far different approach to sway voters in District 3.

Chris Bennett is an Army vet. The 36-year-old says he’s a self-described leftist who draws inspiration from Democrats like US Senator Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “We are trying to do a grassroots takeover of Congress and most of us are young millennials,” Bennett said. “In order for us to actually have a shot at a better future, we need to get power and use that power.”

Bennett has an active social media presence and has been knocking on doors. His pitch – both the Republican and Democratic establishment have failed us. “So I quit my job to run for Congress because it’s the decisive point of our democracy with the power of the purse, the power to impeach, and the power to actually fix our broken system and make it work for all of us,” he said.

One of his main opponents is 61-year-old Democratic Congressman Ami Bera. Bera is a medical doctor and has represented parts of Sacramento for more than a decade. “I appreciate the young people that are engaged in wanting to run. But Congress is a lot more than just yelling loudly,” Bera said. “It’s also about the art of negotiation, the art of being able to put policy together, the art of getting to 218 votes so you can move legislation through the House.”

Bera said that’s why he’s running again because he has the experience to make that happen. He said the most important task right now is for the Dems to reclaim the house, in order to make people’s lives easier.

Becerra, Hilton lead in California governor’s race poll ahead of June primary

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are leading the crowded field for California governor in a new poll, which finds Democrat Tom Steyer trailing the top two candidates with less than a week remaining to vote in the primary election.

The survey released Wednesday night by the Public Policy Institute of California is the latest poll to indicate that it’s highly unlikely the state will end up with two Republicans advancing to a November runoff, something Democrats had feared this spring when party support was fractured among an unsettled, crowded field of candidates. It also shows Becerra continuing his surge to the front, despite being the target of debate attacks and critical ads, as well as Steyer’s historic self-funding wave.

Becerra, former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden, leads the poll with 23% support among likely voters, followed by Hilton, a former Fox News commentator and businessman, at 20%. Steyer, a billionaire former hedge fund manager turned progressive activist, garnered 15% support, while Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat, rounded out the top five at 13% and 12% respectively. “This is the first poll that we’ve done that showed with some clarity that we have two candidates with more than 20% of the vote — one a Democrat, one a Republican,” PPIC survey director Mark Baldassare said. “There’s always the possibility that we end up with two Democrats [in the November runoff], but it’s much more likely at this point that we have a Democrat and a Republican.”

Democrats have largely rallied around Becerra, who was stuck in the single digits in the PPIC poll as recently as early April, after East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment against him. “Swalwell’s exit and the circumstances surrounding it led to support for Becerra — who has experience in Sacramento, unlike really any other of the major candidates, and spoke to Democrats about something that really mattered to them, which was that he had experience taking on Donald Trump,” Baldassare said. Hilton likewise surged further ahead of Bianco among Republican voters after President Donald Trump endorsed him in early April. That’s despite the latest PPIC poll also finding a sharp drop in the number of Republicans saying the U.S. is going in the right direction — down to 50%, from 64% in PPIC’s February survey.

Gov. Newsom signs law to prevent ballot seizures before next week’s primary

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation to ban law enforcement from interfering in elections ahead of the state’s primary next week. The bill, SB73, was authored after Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is also running for governor, seized hundreds of thousands of ballots earlier this year.

The new law makes it a crime for law enforcement authorities to seize ballots from election officials. It also bans them from accessing voting equipment and lists without a court order. The law directs the California Department of Justice to give local election workers guidance on responding to law enforcement.

Newsom said the law strengthens election integrity amid challenges from local and federal officials. “We have to clarify the rules of engagement. That’s why this legislation is important,” said Newsom. “There are fines associated with this and jail time… three years.”
The fine for knowingly taking ballots is $1000.

Newsom signed  the legislation, saying it shields California elections from federal interference, and that he expected President Donald Trump’s administration to try to meddle in the midterms this year. The law takes effect immediately. Trump administration officials so far have said they have no plans to send immigration agents to polling locations across the U.S., a concern raised this year by several Democratic secretaries of state. But Newsom warned “we have to be prepared for everything” because “there’s no rules anymore with the Trump administration.”