Welcome to the Friday, May 8, 2026, Brew.
By: Lara Bonatesta
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Our readers, and Ballotpedia staffers, share their Mother’s Day stories about civic inspiration
- A look at the June 2 California gubernatorial primary
- Four statewide candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks
- Join Ballotpedia Society and help make voters confident at the polls
Our readers, and Ballotpedia staffers, share their Mother’s Day stories about civic inspiration
We asked Daily Brew readers and Ballotpedia staff how their mothers inspired them to get involved in our nation’s civic life. And they responded, with short anecdotes and heartfelt remembrances of the words, the examples, and the lessons their mothers imparted to them about getting involved in the great American experiment in self-governance.
Moms taking their children to the polls was a common theme. One reader said:
“My mother encouraged all her seven children to vote once they became old enough for voting to matter.”
Another said she remembered her mother taking her to vote at every election – “and I did the same thing with my son when he was young.”
One reader wrote that her grandmother was a long-time member on a county election board, and that “she often recruited her sister and her young son to work and volunteer at the polls, both in the days leading up to elections and on election day itself.”
Her dedication to local politics, and the democratic process, had an enormous influence on the whole family:
"Our grandmother loved civics, government, civic engagement, voting, and the study of politics. To her very last day, she modeled what it meant to be an active citizen.
She has at least one grandchild who was elected to and now serves in public office.
More importantly, she had children, grandchildren, and now great‑grandchildren who vote and work to stay engaged in public affairs.
Some years ago, our grandmother passed. A few days later, we held her funeral on — a perfect day — Presidents Day!"
Readers also noted how their mothers inspired them to follow current events and educate themselves on candidates and issues.
One reader said:
"I talk to others a lot about elections and voting, and do my research into whom I would like to support…My husband is part of our city council and works very hard to improve our community here in Wisconsin. The memory is how I can trail back to my mother and her passion for justice and the right of every American citizen to choose."
A Ballotpedia staff member said:
"My mother and father surrounded us with information – two daily newspapers, always listening to the local morning news on the radio and watching the national news at night. But the best thing was giving me a large, bound volume about the U.S. presidents when I was in the 2nd grade. I read that from cover to cover, over and over again!"
Another Brew reader shared a story about how this Mother’s Day is the second anniversary of her Mom’s passing:
"[She] was a woman of valor both in the traditional and modern sense of the phrase -- strong, determined, and terrifyingly capable in her devotion to family, community, the vulnerable, and the pursuit of justice.
Her mom graduated from law school, and “was active in volunteer policy and advocacy work until she took the bar exam some 25 years later.”
What I am most proud about her is that she passed this ‘pursuit of justice’ gene down to her children and grandchildren."
To everyone who responded - thank you! We hope your family’s story inspires others to get involved in their community, and our nation’s shared civic life. And happy Mother’s Day!
A look at the June 2 California gubernatorial primary
Sixty-one candidates are running in the June 2 top-two primary for governor of California. This is the most candidates going back to at least 2014. Xavier Becerra (D), Matt Mahan (D), Katie Porter (D), Thomas Steyer (D), Antonio Villaraigosa (D), Chad Bianco (R), and Steve Hilton (R) lead in polling and media attention. Incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is term-limited.
On May 5, CNN hosted a debate including the seven candidates mentioned above. Below is a background on each candidate, their endorsements, and some key moments from the debate.
- Becerra was the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2021 to 2025. He was the attorney general of California from 2017 to 2021 and a member of the U.S. House from 1993 to 2017. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D), U.S. Rep. Gil Cisneros (D), and U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D) endorsed Becerra.
- Mahan was elected mayor of San Jose in 2022. He previously served on the San Jose City Council from 2021 to 2023. In 2014, Mahan founded Brigade, which, according to his campaign website, is "the world’s first voter network." U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo (D), Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang (Forward Party) endorsed Mahan.
- Porter served in the U.S. House from 2019 to 2025. She was previously a law professor and a consumer and bankruptcy attorney. U.S. Rep. Dave Min (D), U.S. Rep. Derek Tran (D), EMILY's List, and the National Union of Healthcare Workers endorsed Porter.
- Steyer founded the hedge fund Farallon Capital Management in 1986 and managed it until 2012. In 2013, Steyer founded NextGen America, which, according to its official website, seeks to "educate and empower young people to organize, vote, and lead." Steyer also ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 before suspending his campaign on Feb. 29, 2020. U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D), U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D), and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D) endorsed Steyer.
- Villaraigosa was mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. He previously served on the Los Angeles City Council from 2003 to 2005 and in the California Assembly from 1994 to 2000. From 1998 to 2000, Villaraigosa served as speaker of the Assembly. The California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, the California Building and Construction Trades Council, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers & Pipe Trades endorsed Villaraigosa.
- Bianco was elected Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator of Riverside County in 2018. He had worked at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for 26 years before assuming office as sheriff-coroner-public administrator. U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R) and the California Police Chiefs Association endorsed Bianco
- Hilton is a Fox News Channel contributor who hosted The Next Revolution on the network from 2017 to 2023. He previously was a senior advisor to former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and an advertising executive. President Donald Trump (R), U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley (I), and U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock (R) endorsed Hilton on April 6.
Highlights from the May 5 debate
At the May 5 debate, the candidates discussed several issues. The ones highlighted below illustrate some of the candidates’ policy differences.
Taxation and the proposed wealth tax
Among the first issues the candidates addressed was taxation, and the proposed One-Time Wealth Tax for State-Funded Healthcare, Education, and Food Assistance Programs Initiative, which several of the candidates and the moderators also called a billionaire tax. That measure is currently awaiting certification.
Porter said she did not support the proposed measure and said, “This tax isn’t going to fundamentally change California’s economy in the way that young people and the working people of California need. It’s a one-time tax, but we don’t have one-time revenue needs.” Porter said she would support a progressive tax code.
Steyer said he would vote for the proposition if it makes the ballot. “Going forward, we do need to go further. This is a one-time tax and it also doesn’t spread the money across the government… and specifically it doesn’t go to education.”
Villaraigosa said, “The problem with the billionaire tax: it’s a one-time tax. It’s flawed. I believe the people that make that kind of money ought to pay more… At the end of the day, the federal government should do it because people are leaving, and they’ve been leaving because of the threat of this tax, just as businesses have been leaving because of the high tax state that we are.”
Bianco said he opposed the measure, “This is not a billionaire tax bill… The 140,000 people that are paying 50% of the taxes are going to leave and then the wording of that bill makes the middle class and the lower middle class make up all those taxes.”
Mahan, Hilton, and Becerra did not specifically address the proposed ballot measure, but they did speak about taxes.
Mahan highlighted his record as mayor of San Jose. “Where I differ with my Democratic colleagues is they’re all talking about how to raise revenue, make government bigger… I’m interested in making government better. The answer isn’t always bigger. In San Jose, without raising taxes, with a balanced budget, we got thousands of homes under construction. We moved thousands of people indoors and led the state in reducing homelessness. We made our city the safest big city in the country.”
Hilton said, “Taxes are too high, and we need taxes to be lower. And they’re especially too high for working people in California…My plan eliminates state income state tax under $100 grand.”
Becerra said, “On the issue of taxes, here’s the point: Everyone should pay their fair share. No one can claim that a CEO who’s making more than a thousand times more than their line workers is paying their fair share.”
Immigration
The candidates' discussion of immigration also took up several minutes of the debate.
Hilton and Bianco, the two Republicans in the debate, both spoke about the state’s role in cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
Hilton said, “Although it is the federal government's responsibility to determine and implement immigration policy. I think it's important that all the laws are peacefully enforced…I would make sure that we work with the federal government to enforce our laws.” On the issue of whether federal immigration agents should wear masks, Bianco said he doesn’t believe California has jurisdiction over it. He also said that in his position as sheriff, he allows his deputies to wear masks in certain circumstances.
The Democratic candidates in the debate all criticized the Trump Administration’s immigration policies.
Porter said, “It's the job of the governor to protect every single Californian… The sanctuary state policy is designed to make sure that our state resources, that taxpayer dollars, the public servants that we have are focusing on doing their jobs, which is not cooperating with the federal immigration authorities.”
Villaraigarosa, “Since 2019, the state has turned over 12,000 violent criminals to the federal government. Sanctuary law does not protect violent criminals.”
Becerra highlighted his role as California’s attorney general during the first Trump administration and said, “We stopped him from trying to force local law enforcement to do the bidding of ICE. We were able to make sure we protected the DACA program for our Dreamers all the way to the Supreme Court, and we beat Donald Trump.”
Steyer said he supports abolishing ICE and that “The governor of California should hold people accountable who break the laws of California.”
Mahan said, “We can all agree that we should have a secure border. If you’re committing serious and violent crimes, deportation is the consequence. But I was just in the fashion district on the side of downtown Los Angeles. Where I met with small business owners, who have tears in their eyes because they don’t have customers anymore.”
There are 24 Democratic candidates, 12 Republican candidates, one Libertarian candidate, one Peace and Freedom candidate, and 23 no party preference candidates on the ballot. The top-two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliations.
Click here to learn more about who’s running in the June 2 California gubernatorial primary.
Four statewide candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks
Four states and the Virgin Islands have statewide candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks. Below is a look at which states have candidate filing deadlines scheduled between May 9 and May 22.
Upcoming filing deadlines:
- Alabama: May 19 (statewide minor party/independent candidate filing deadline)
- Arizona: May 22 (statewide primary write-in candidate filing deadline)
- California: May 19 (statewide write-in candidate filing deadline)
- North Dakota: May 19 (primary write-in candidate filing deadline)
- Virgin Islands: May 19 (territory-wide candidate and minor party/independent candidates filing deadline)
Four states and Guam had candidate filing deadlines in the past two weeks:
- Arkansas: May 1 (statewide unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
- Guam: May 1 (territorywide candidate filing deadline for governor, lieutenant governor, senator, and delegate)
- Nebraska: May 1 (statewide primary write-in candidate filing deadline)
- Ohio: May 4 (statewide unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
- South Dakota: April 28 (statewide unaffiliated candidate filing deadline)
Washington’s statewide candidate filing deadline is today, May 8.
Candidates must meet various state-specific filing requirements and deadlines to appear on primary and general election ballots. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether and how candidates can make it onto the ballot. These laws are set at the state level and apply to candidates running for state and federal offices.
There are 13 statewide elections taking place in the next two weeks:
- Alabama: May 19 statewide primary election
- Georgia: May 19 statewide primary election
- Idaho: May 19 statewide judicial general elections
- Idaho: May 19 statewide primary
- Kentucky: May 19 statewide primary election
- Louisiana: May 16 statewide party primary
- Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1: May 16 Special election primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1
- Louisiana Supreme Court District 1: May 16 Supreme Court special primary
- Nebraska: May 12 statewide primary election
- North Carolina: May 12 statewide primary runoff
- Oregon: May 19 statewide primary election
- Pennsylvania: May 19 statewide primary election
- West Virginia: May 12 statewide primary election
Four states have early voting periods that start in the next two weeks:
- Iowa: Early voting begins May 13 for the June 2 primary.
- Kentucky: Early voting begins May 14 for the May 19 primary.
- Maine: Early voting begins May 10 for the June 9 primary.
- Texas: Early voting begins May 18 for the May 26 primary runoff.
Nine states have voter registration deadlines in the next two weeks:
- California: May 18 is the last day to register to vote by mail or online in the June 2 primary.
- Idaho: May 8 is the last day to register to vote by mail or online in the May 19 primary. In-person voter registration is available through May 19.
- Iowa: May 18 is the last day to register to vote by mail or online in the June 2 primary. In-person voter registration is available through June 2.
- Maine: May 19 is the last day to register to vote by mail or online in the June 9 primary. In-person voter registration is available through June 9.
- Nevada: May 12 is the last day to register to vote by mail in the June 9 primary. Voter registration in person or online is available through June 9.
- New Jersey: May 12 is the last day to register to vote in the June 2 primary.
- Oklahoma: May 22 is the last day to register to vote in the June 16 primary.
- South Carolina: May 8 is the last day to register to vote in-person, May 10 is the last day to register to vote online, and May 11 is the last day to register to vote by mail for both the June 9 primary and the June 23 primary runoff.
- South Dakota: May 18 is the last day to register to vote in-person or by mail in the June 2 primary.
Eight states have absentee/mail-in ballot request deadlines in the next two weeks:
- Alabama: May 14 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot in person. May 12 is the last day to request a ballot by mail for the May 19 primary.
- Georgia: May 8 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the May 19 primary.
- Idaho: May 8 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the May 19 primary.
- Iowa: May 18 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot in-person or online for the June 2 primary.
- Louisiana: May 12 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the May 16 primary.
- New Mexico: May 19 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the June 2 primary.
- Pennsylvania: May 12 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot for the May 19 primary.
- Texas: May 15 is the last day to request an absentee/mail-in ballot in person or online for the May 26 primary runoff.
Click here to see our list of upcoming election dates and filing deadlines.
Join Ballotpedia Society and help make voters confident at the polls
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