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How outside organizations score the candidates

A reference guide to the scorecards, ratings and endorsements used across voter tools to evaluate 2026 gubernatorial candidates. California 2026, how to read these badges.

The rating bodies

El que reparte las cartas, también te enseña a leerlas.

Courage California

URL: https://couragecalifornia.org

What they evaluate: Candidate alignment with progressive values on healthcare, immigration, climate, criminal justice and corporate accountability.

Methodology: Not a quantitative scorecard; endorsement process based on candidate positions and track record.

Political lean: Progressive multi-issue organization (California's largest).

2026 status: Endorsements. Endorsed Tom Steyer.

Research date: May 7, 2026

California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO

URL: https://calaborfed.org

What they evaluate: Labor record, union-friendly policies, worker protections, wages.

Methodology: Scorecard system exists for state legislators (rates votes on labor priorities); endorsement process for statewide candidates.

Political lean: Labor / Progressive.

2026 endorsements: Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, Antonio Villaraigosa, Eric Swalwell (withdrew from race). Four candidates endorsed; no single pick to avoid splitting labor vote.

California Environmental Voters

URL: https://envirovoters.org

What they evaluate: Environmental record, climate action, opposition to corporate polluters, climate justice.

Methodology: Endorsement based on candidate's track record and policy positions on environment/climate.

Political lean: Environmental / Progressive.

2026 endorsements: Tom Steyer and Katie Porter. Both pair aggressive climate action with corporate accountability and affordability.

Sierra Club California

URL: https://www.sierraclub.org/california

What they evaluate: Environmental record, climate action, conservation votes, CEQA positions.

Methodology: Annual Legislative Scorecard released; endorsement process for statewide candidates.

Political lean: Environmental / Progressive.

2026 endorsement: Tom Steyer (May 2026).

Reproductive Freedom for All

URL: https://reproductivefreedomforall.org

What they evaluate: Voting record on reproductive rights, anti-abortion legislation, access to care.

Methodology: Annual California Reproductive Freedom Legislative Scorecard; evaluates legislators on key reproductive votes.

Political lean: Reproductive justice / Progressive.

2026 status: No formal governor scorecard yet. Congressional record data available for some candidates.

Equality California

URL: https://www.eqca.org

What they evaluate: LGBTQ+ rights voting record, equality protections, healthcare access.

Methodology: Annual State Legislative Scorecard; endorsement process for statewide candidates.

Political lean: LGBTQ+ rights / Progressive.

2026 status: Endorsement process underway (pending). Historical scorecard data: rates legislators on LGBTQ+ civil rights votes.

Progressive Voters Guide / LA Forward

URL: https://www.progressivevotersguide.com (statewide); https://www.laforward.org/voterguide (LA County)

What they evaluate: Candidate positions on progressive priorities through questionnaires and interviews.

Methodology: Side-by-side candidate comparison; endorsement ratings; primarily informational.

Political lean: Progressive.

2026 coverage: Comparison format, not formal scorecard. Questionnaire responses, video Q&As, candidate positions side-by-side.

CalMatters Voter Guide

URL: https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/governor

What they evaluate: Candidate positions on major issues (housing, homelessness, climate) through structured Q&A.

Methodology: Non-partisan voter guide; video Q&As, interactive quiz, side-by-side comparison.

Political lean: Non-partisan journalism.

2026 coverage: Informational guide (not a scoring system). Short video Q&As on major topics, interactive quiz to match voter views with candidates, detailed profiles.

Vote Smart

URL: https://justfacts.votesmart.org

What they evaluate: Congressional voting records, key votes, issue-based voting patterns.

Methodology: Non-partisan; compiles actual votes by issue category.

Political lean: Non-partisan.

2026 coverage: No governor race evaluation; prior office voting data available for Katie Porter (U.S. House, CA-47, 2019-2023) and Xavier Becerra (U.S. House, CA-34, 1993-2017).

Ballotpedia

URL: https://ballotpedia.org

What they evaluate: Candidate information aggregation; tracks endorsements by various organizations.

Methodology: Non-partisan encyclopedia of politics; does NOT assign numeric ratings.

Political lean: Non-partisan.

2026 coverage: Candidate profiles and endorsement tracking, no numeric scoring.

League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Congressional Scorecard

URL: https://www.lcv.org/congressional-scorecard/

What they evaluate: Congressional voting record on environmental/climate bills.

Methodology: Numeric score (0-100%) based on environmental votes.

Political lean: Environmental / Progressive.

Data available: Katie Porter scored 100% on LCV Congressional Scorecard during House service (full alignment with environmental votes).

GovTrack.us

URL: https://www.govtrack.us

What they evaluate: Congressional voting history, legislative effectiveness, co-sponsorship patterns.

Methodology: Non-partisan; tracks all votes and legislative activity.

Political lean: Non-partisan.

2026 coverage: Prior office data only for candidates with congressional service.

Heritage Action for America

URL: https://heritageaction.com/scorecard

What they evaluate: Conservative legislative voting record (federal office only).

Methodology: Numeric score (0-100%) on conservative priority votes.

Political lean: Conservative / Republican.

2026 coverage: No governor race evaluation; scorecard limited to Members of Congress.

California Chamber of Commerce

URL: https://advocacy.calchamber.com

What they evaluate: Pro-business policies, labor regulation, tax policy.

Methodology: Endorsements and "affordability agenda" (bills supported/opposed).

Political lean: Business / Moderate conservative.

2026 status: No formal scorecard published. Chamber focused on ballot measure campaigns.

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association

URL: https://www.hjta.org

What they evaluate: Pro-Proposition 13, anti-tax-increase positions.

Methodology: Endorsement-based.

Political lean: Libertarian / Conservative (tax-focused).

2026 status: 2026 focus on ballot initiative defense; governor endorsements not yet announced.

CCPOA (California Correctional Peace Officers Association)

URL: https://www.ccpoa.org

What they evaluate: Pro-law-enforcement policies, public safety, corrections worker issues.

Methodology: Endorsement-based.

Political lean: Law enforcement / Labor.

2026 status: Endorsements pending.

California DSA (Democratic Socialists of America)

URL: https://www.californiadsa.org

What they evaluate: Socialist alignment, worker rights, anti-corporate positions.

Methodology: Endorsement process.

Political lean: Democratic Socialist / Far left.

2026 status: No statewide governor endorsement. Endorsed Oliver Ma for Lt. Governor only.

CAGovTracker.com

URL: https://cagovtracker.com

What they evaluate: Campaign finance tracking ("Follow the Money"), polling aggregation.

Methodology: Finance disclosures and public polling data.

Political lean: Non-partisan.

2026 coverage: Finance and polling, not candidate evaluation/scoring.

Based on availability, recognizability, political balance and data quality, the dashboard recommends displaying 5-7 badges per candidate showing:

High Priority (High Recognition + Available Data)

  • CalMatters Voter Guide. Non-partisan, trusted California journalism; side-by-side positions on housing, climate, homelessness.
  • Courage California Endorsement (if applicable). Largest CA progressive org; nationally recognized brand.
  • CA Labor Federation Endorsement (if applicable). 2.3M union members; strong brand recognition.
  • Environmental Voters Endorsement (if applicable). Climate-focused; critical for CA electorate.
  • League of Conservation Voters (for Porter and Becerra only). Congressional voting history on environment.

Secondary (Useful but Narrower Scope)

  • Sierra Club Endorsement (if applicable). Strong brand but overlaps with EnviroVoters.
  • Equality California Endorsement (when available). LGBTQ+ voters; pending.
  • VoteSmart Congressional Record (for Porter and Becerra only). Shows legislative voting patterns.

Badge Design Suggestion

Each badge should show:

  • Organization logo or name
  • Link to endorsement/scorecard page
  • One-line explanation (e.g., "Endorsed by CA Labor Federation" or "100% LCV environmental voting record")
  • Color coding for political lean: Green/blue for progressive, gray/neutral for non-partisan, red/gold for conservative

Key Findings

Formal Scorecards: Currently available or in progress:

  • Prior elected office: VoteSmart and LCV Congressional (limited to candidates with federal service)
  • Legislative scorecards (not governor-specific): CA Labor Federation, Reproductive Freedom for All, Equality California, EnviroVoters, Sierra Club
  • No cross-candidate numeric governors scorecard found for 2026

Endorsements: Available from Courage California (Steyer), CA Labor Federation (Steyer, Porter, Villaraigosa, Swalwell), EnviroVoters (Steyer, Porter) and Sierra Club (Steyer). Many remain pending through June 2026.

Limitations: Many organizations still finalizing 2026 endorsements (rolling announcements). Few have published numeric scorecards specific to 2026 gubernatorial candidates; most rely on endorsement/non-endorsement. Legislative scorecards are more common than statewide candidate scorecards.

Research date

Research date: May 7, 2026. Got research, a correction, or a source we missed? Submit it.

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