2026 Election
Orange County Voter Guide
Orange County Voter Guide 2026 – What This Guide Does for You
Helps you vote for—not against—your values in the 2026 Orange County election based on extensive research.
Shows easy-to-understand star ratings for candidates running for key local and state offices.
Gives clear guidance on the California governor’s race, including a detailed comparison chart.
Covers all major statewide offices, including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction.
One of the only voter guides that evaluates judges, helping you know who to support—and who to avoid.
Identifies candidates aligned with conservative, Republican, Christian, and libertarian values.
Based on 35+ years of candidate research, including questionnaires, public records, donations, endorsements, voting history, and interviews.
Designed for both mail-in voting and in-person voting on June 2, 2026.
With millions of ballots already sent, this guide helps you act quickly and confidently.
Quickly see the important races and recommendations without the hours of research.
★★★★★
Best candidate. Strongest endorsement.
★★★★
Very good.
★★★
Acceptable.
★★
Vote only to prevent worse candidates from winning.
★
Terrible. Do not vote. All your other votes will count.
Governor – Top Candidates on Ballot
Steve Hilton*
Chad Bianco*
Katie Porter
Xavier Becerra
Tom Steyer
Matt Mahan
Tony Thurmond
*Note: Refused to sign the Family First Pledge on key issues of restricting abortion, support for traditional marriage and religious liberty. Both proclaim to be Pro-Life, Pro-Family, but avoid specific answers. Pastor Che Ahn is the only candidate to receive a 5-star rating but due to a technicality, he was not allowed to be on the ballot. He is running as a write-in.
Orange County Statewide Offices
David FennellLieutenant Governor
Don WagnerSecretary of State
Herb MorganState Controller
Jennifer HawksState Treasurer
Michael GatesAttorney General
Robert HowellInsurance Commissioner
Sonja ShawSuperintendent of Public Education
California State Board of Equalization
Shannon GroveDistrict 1
Brett MarymeeDistrict 2
Denis BilodeauDistrict 4
Carlo BasailDistrict 3
Orange County Judicial Races Superior Court
Office #13
Ann Cho
Robert Mestman
Office #41
Charles Pell
Ami Sagel
Note: Other races have no opponents. Leave blank, all your other votes will count.
U.S. House of Representatives
Pedro ‘Antonio’ CasasDistrict 38
Ken CalvertDistrict 40
Mitch ClemmonsDistrict 41
Noah Von BlomDistrict 42
Chuong V. VoDistrict 45
David PanDistrict 46
Jenny Rae Le RouxDistrict 47
Star ParkerDistrict 49
California State Senate
Araceli MartinezDistrict 30
Kelly SeyartoDistrict 32
Rhonda ShaderDistrict 34
Tony StricklandDistrict 36
Laura BassettDistrict 38
California State Assembly
Phillip ChenDistrict 59
Raul Ortiz, Jr.District 64
Adrian Oscar AyubDistrict 67
Mayra RuizDistrict 68
Tri TaDistrict 70
“Kate” Kathryn SanchezDistrict 71
Gracey Van Der MarkDistrict 72
Urson RussellDistrict 73
Laurie DaviesDistrict 74
County Races
Dr. Stefan BeanSuperintendent of Schools
Lisa SparksBoard of Education
James WallaceBoard of Supervisors, District 2
Tim ShawBoard of Supervisors, District 4
Diane DixonBoard of Supervisors, District 5
Claude ParrishAssessor
Andrew HamiltonAuditor-Controller
Hugh NguyenClerk-Recorder
Shari FreidenrichTreasurer-Tax Collector