Our Vote Is Not a Blank Check–What Black Women Are Really Saying About the Governor’s Race
Every election cycle, the conversation starts the same way. Campaigns announce their outreach. Candidates say our name. They show up at our churches, our sorority events, our community gatherings.
And then, too often, they govern like they forgot we existed.
That pattern is why the data that was just released from the 2026 California Voter Index Baseline Survey stops me cold. It confirms what Black women in California have been saying for years: we are watching, we are engaged, and we are not yet sold.
Here’s what the numbers show: roughly one-third of Black women remain undecided, making it one of the largest response categories about who they’ll support in the June 2026 gubernatorial primary. It is a number that should shake every campaign headquarters in this state.
Do not mistake it for apathy.
Let’s be clear: Black women are planning to vote. In this survey, 80.4% say they will definitely cast a ballot in June, and when you include likely voters, the number climbs to roughly 91%. We are showing up. The question is whether candidates have given us a compelling reason to show up for them.
