The Navigator · A Neutral Comparison

The Candidates:

Who Funds Them, Who Backs Them

A context document for the June 2, 2026 ballot. The money and the coalitions behind each candidate - by category, on the record, evenly.
No endorsements · Just context
Why money and backing? Of everything you can know about a candidate, two facts are unusually clarifying: where their money comes from, and which organizations stand behind them. Funders and endorsers expect to be heard. This document maps both - by category and coalition rather than by individual donor - using disclosed FEC filings, official endorsement lists, and public reporting as of mid-May 2026.
Money = how the campaign is funded Backing = who has endorsed

U.S. House · District 11 (the Pelosi seat)

Open seat, top-two primary (vote one; top two advance). Three Democrats lead in money and endorsements. Figures reflect public FEC reporting and reporting through mid-May 2026.
Scott WienerState Senator (D)
The Money
Scale: Best-funded candidate in the race.
Timing: Began fundraising in 2023, before the seat opened.
Sources: Traditional campaign fundraising; donor base concentrated in:
Real-estate interestsTech donorsHousing/YIMBYStatewide Dem network
The Backing
California Democratic Party (official endorsement)
Housing Action Coalition, SF YIMBY
Many statewide Democratic officials
Lost the SEIU endorsement after opposing Prop D (the executive tax).
Connie ChanSF Supervisor, D1 (D)
The Money
Scale: Raised the least of the three front-runners.
Timing: Entered the race latest.
Sources: Individual donors and organized labor; Pelosi's May 19 endorsement may open access to the former speaker's donor network.
Individual donorsProgressive labor
The Backing
Nancy Pelosi (May 19, 2026 - late surprise endorsement)
Progressive labor unions: teachers, nurses, service workers (SEIU)
SF Green Party (#1 ranked - an unusual cross-party nod)
Saikat ChakrabartiFormer AOC chief of staff (D)
The Money
Scale: Among the best-resourced - but mostly his own money.
Self-funding: Has put roughly $5 million of personal funds into the campaign.
Sources: Personal wealth plus a national small-dollar network from his AOC / Justice Democrats ties.
Self-fundedNational small-dollar
The Backing
National progressive figures and small-dollar base
Has not consolidated all local progressive institutions - a key dynamic in the second-place race
The contrast in one line: Three different funding models - institutional fundraising (Wiener), labor-and-individuals (Chan), and self-funding (Chakrabarti) - each pointing to a different set of people the candidate would owe, or owe nothing to. That difference is worth as much as any policy paragraph.

Board of Supervisors · District 2

Special election, ranked-choice. Confirming (or replacing) an appointed incumbent. One of several seats that could shift the Board's one-vote moderate majority.
Stephen SherrillAppointed incumbent (D)
The Money
Scale: Well-resourced; supported by significant PAC spending.
PAC supportPro-business
The Backing
Early endorsement from Mayor Lurie
Generally aligned with the mayor's governing coalition
Lori BrookeNeighborhood organizer (D)
The Money
Scale: Raised far less than the incumbent.
Notable: Runs with no PAC backing.
No PACsSmall-dollar
The Backing
Neighborhood and independent-minded support
Positions as a check on the mayor's majority rather than part of it
Also on the ballot: Jeremy Kirshner. Ranked-choice voting lets you rank multiple candidates.

Board of Supervisors · District 4

Special election, ranked-choice, five candidates, following the Nov 2025 recall over the Great Highway. Money is less concentrated here; backing and coalition are the clearer signals.
Alan WongAppointed incumbent (D)
The Money
Supported by the mayor's allied funding network.
Mayor-aligned
The Backing
Appointed by Mayor Lurie (Dec 2025); backed by his allies.
Natalie GeeChief of staff to Sup. Walton (D)
The Money
Backed by organized labor support.
Progressive labor
The Backing
SF Green Party (#1 ranked)
Progressive labor and the Board's progressive wing
Albert ChowSmall-business owner
The Money
Neighborhood and small-business support; organized the prior recall.
Neighborhood base
The Backing
Support from the Great Highway recall coalition
David LeeProfessor; civic leader
The Money
Civic and community network; prior campaign infrastructure.
Civic network
The Backing
Ties to the district's Asian American electorate and good-government groups
Jeremy GrecoSchool administrator / co-op
The Money
Grassroots, lower-budget campaign.
Grassroots
The Backing
SF Green Party (#2 ranked); ecological and grassroots-democracy supporters

Governor of California

Top-two primary, large field, no California Democratic Party endorsement (no candidate reached 60%). Polling has been fluid; one mid-May survey showed Becerra with a narrow edge over Hilton and Steyer. A split Democratic vote could affect who advances. Selected most-discussed candidates below.
Tom SteyerBusinessman / climate activist (D)
The Money
Self-funded at large scale; among the race's biggest spenders ($30M+ reported). Founded NextGen America.
Self-fundedBig spender
The Backing
Courage California (progressive) and others
Xavier BecerraFormer US Health Secretary; former CA AG (D)
The Money
Traditional Democratic fundraising; strong name recognition from prior statewide and federal office.
Institutional Dem
The Backing
Establishment Democratic support; led one mid-May poll at ~19%
Fiona MaState Treasurer (D)
The Money
Established statewide donor base from prior treasurer and supervisor campaigns.
Statewide Dem
The Backing
Various Democratic officials and clubs
Josh FrydayNewsom cabinet (D)
The Money
Backed by labor-aligned and administration-aligned fundraising.
Labor-aligned
The Backing
Gov. Newsom; California Teachers Association; California Federation of Teachers
Steve Hilton & Chad BiancoLeading Republicans
The Money
Republican donor networks; Hilton (former Fox News host), Bianco (Riverside County sheriff).
GOP donors
The Backing
Hilton endorsed by President Trump; Bianco endorsed by the California Republican Assembly
Why the money matters here: In a top-two primary this crowded, self-funded and high-name-recognition candidates can advance on resources alone while similar candidates split the rest of the vote. Watching who can sustain spending is as predictive as watching the polls.

Lieutenant Governor of California

Open seat — the current lieutenant governor is termed out and running for Treasurer. Top-two primary, large field, no California Democratic Party endorsement (none reached the threshold). The office is largely ceremonial: president of the state Senate with a tie-breaking vote, a seat on the UC Board of Regents (one of 18) and other higher-education and lands boards. Because the role has limited power, money and coalition often signal a candidate's broader political base more than their plans for the office itself.
Fiona MaState Treasurer (D)
The Money
Scale: Reported to hold the field's fundraising lead.
Base: Deep statewide donor network from a long career — Assembly, Board of Equalization, and two terms as Treasurer.
Fundraising leadStatewide Dem
The Backing
Various Democratic officials and clubs; San Jose Mercury News editorial endorsement
Did not receive the state party endorsement (none was given)
Josh FrydayNewsom cabinet; former Novato mayor (D)
The Money
Base: Newsom-aligned donor networks and a statewide campaign organization.
Background note: Former COO of NextGen America, the climate group founded by gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer.
Administration-alignedEducation labor
The Backing
Gov. Newsom
California Teachers Association; California Federation of Teachers
Michael TubbsFormer Stockton mayor; anti-poverty advocate (D)
The Money
Base: National progressive donor network; reporting indicates potential for significant independent-expenditure support.
Profile: Built a national guaranteed-income pilot in Stockton; founded End Poverty in California.
National progressiveLabor-backed
The Backing
SEIU (major public-employee union); Courage California (progressive)
San Francisco Chronicle editorial endorsement
Janelle KellmanEnvironmental attorney; former Sausalito mayor (D)
The Money
Scale: Reported as a credible candidate but without the top-tier financial backing of the front-runners.
Profile: Ten years in Sausalito local government; founder of a sea-level-rise climate nonprofit; Stanford-trained attorney.
Lower-budgetClimate focus
The Backing
California Legislative Jewish Caucus; LGBTQ Stonewall Democratic Club
Would be the first LGBTQ woman elected to California statewide office
Others on the ballotMultiple parties
The Money
The field includes additional Democratic candidates and at least one leading Republican (state Sen. Brian Dahle), who would draw on GOP donor networks.
Varied
The Backing
Backing splits along party lines and, within the Democratic field, along establishment-vs-progressive lines. See the official Secretary of State guide for the full roster.
The pattern here: Three distinct coalitions are visible — establishment-and-education-labor (Fryday, via Newsom and the teachers' unions), service-union-and-progressive (Tubbs, via SEIU and Courage California), and long-career-statewide (Ma, via fundraising and officeholder relationships). For an office with little formal power, the coalition behind each candidate is the clearest signal of which wing of the party they'd represent.

Other Statewide Offices

Down-ballot statewide races. Most feature a Democratic incumbent or front-runner with party-and-labor backing, facing Republican challengers backed by the state GOP. Backing, more than money, is the clear signal in these races.
Attorney GeneralRob Bonta (D, incumbent) · Michael Gates (R)
The Money
Bonta: incumbent fundraising, Democratic and legal-community donors. Gates: GOP donor base.
The Backing
Bonta: California Democratic Party, broad labor. Gates: California Republican Party.
Secretary of StateShirley Weber (D, incumbent) · Don Wagner (R) · Greens
The Money
Weber: incumbent Democratic fundraising. Wagner: GOP base. Green candidates: grassroots.
The Backing
Weber: Democratic Party and labor. Wagner: GOP. Feinstein/Blenner: Green Party.
ControllerMalia Cohen (D, incumbent) · challengers
The Money
Cohen: incumbent Democratic and labor fundraising. A union-leader challenger runs on a labor platform.
The Backing
Cohen: broad Democratic and labor backing.
TreasurerCaballero · Kounalakis · Vazquez (D) · GOP
The Money
Several established Democrats with statewide donor networks; Republican challenger with GOP base.
The Backing
Endorsements split across Democratic candidates; no single consensus.
Insurance CommissionerJane Kim (D) · Ben Allen (D) · others
The Money
Kim: progressive and consumer-advocate support. Others: varied Democratic and GOP bases.
The Backing
Kim endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Working Families Party; the race draws competing progressive and establishment endorsements.
Superintendent of Public InstructionNonpartisan office · multiple candidates
The Money
Education-sector and labor support divides among several Democratic-aligned candidates.
The Backing
Teachers' unions and education groups split across candidates (e.g., Muratsuchi, Rendon, Barrera named by different groups).
For Board of Equalization and any district-specific races, see the official Secretary of State guide. Backing in these races generally tracks the Democratic-vs-Republican party line, with progressive-vs-establishment splits within the Democratic field.

Reading the Money: A Short Guide

Funding and endorsements don't tell you who to vote for. They tell you what to ask. Here's how to read them.
Self-funded vs. donor-funded - what's the trade-off?
A self-funded candidate owes less to outside donors, but personal wealth raises its own questions about whose experience they represent. A donor-funded candidate has built a coalition, but that coalition expects responsiveness. Neither is inherently better - they're different kinds of accountability.
PAC money vs. small-dollar - who's really behind the campaign?
Independent PAC spending can dwarf a candidate's own budget and isn't controlled by them. Small-dollar fundraising signals a broad base. Look at the ratio: a campaign mostly funded by large outside spending answers to different people than one funded by many small donors.
Which endorsements actually cost something?
Some endorsements are routine; others represent a real choice. A labor union endorsing against a long-time ally, or a leader breaking with an old friend, signals something a press-release endorsement does not. Weight the endorsements that were hard to give.
Does the coalition match the job?
A candidate backed by housing developers will govern housing differently than one backed by tenant groups. A candidate backed by police unions differently than one backed by criminal-justice reformers. Ask whether the coalition behind a candidate wants what you want from this specific office.
What does the funding tell you that the speeches don't?
Campaign rhetoric is designed to appeal broadly. Funding reveals who's actually invested in the outcome. When the two diverge - a populist message funded by concentrated wealth, or a moderate message funded by grassroots donors - the money is usually the more reliable signal.
Whose perspective is missing - including this document's?
This summary uses category-level funding descriptions and public endorsement records; it cannot capture every dollar or every relationship. Treat it as a starting map, not the territory. The detailed disclosures are public - at the FEC, the SF Ethics Commission, and the California Secretary of State.