(Inside California Politics) — The top five candidates are set to face off later this month as the race for governor continues to heat up. Nexstar television stations across California, including KRON4, will air that debate live on April 22 at 7 p.m. Those top candidates, who qualified for the Sa n Francisco stage through the Nexstar Debate Participation Criteria, include two Republicans — Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco — and three Democrats. Unless both Bianco and Hilton make it out of California's top-two June primary, whichever Democrat advances to the November general election will be the heavy favorite. Meet the top contenders: Eric Swalwell U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, is the current top-polling Democratic candidate in the race, garnering about 17% support in a recent Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics survey. Born in Iowa, Swalwell was raised in Dublin, California, an East Bay suburb. After studying law in Maryland, he returned to work as a prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. California gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell speaks at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Swalwell was elected to the Dublin City Council in 2010 and quickly set his sights higher, announcing a run for Congress the next year. He won that race, ousting longtime incumbent Democratic Rep. Pete Stark and has represented the East Bay in Congress since 2012. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Swalwell's star rose during President Donald Trump's first presidency as the congressman took a lead role in criticizing Trump's alleged connections with Russia while serving on the House Intelligence Committee and later as an impeachment manager prosecuting the president in 2021. He briefly ran for president early in the 2020 primaries but dropped out after three months. Tom Steyer A billionaire philanthropist, Tom Steyer grew up in New York City and graduated from Yale University. He worked at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs before founding Farallon Capital, a hedge fund in San Francisco where he became a billionaire. Steyer began to back away from the world of finance, signing the Giving Pledge in 2010 to donate more than half his wealth to charitable causes. Panorama City, CA - February 06:California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer talks to developers of a the new affordable housing project in Panorama City, CA on Friday, February 6, 2026. (Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images) Although he had previously worked to fundraise for and donate to Democratic candidates, Steyer got more directly involved in California politics in the 2010s. He helped lead — and fund — support for Proposition 39 in 2012 and opposition to Proposition 23 in 2010, making a name for himself as a leading backer of pro-environment policies. Steyer also unsuccessfully ran for president in the 2020 primaries. During the 2026 gubernatorial campaign, he has spent more than $100 million out of his own pocket to support his bid for the governorship; he polled at about 11% in the recent Inside California Politics poll. Katie Porter Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter grew up in Iowa and went to the East Coast for college, graduating from both Yale University and Harvard Law School. After serving as a law clerk and working in private practice, Porter became a law professor, eventually working at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. Porter's political career began after the 2016 election when she announced a run for Congress against GOP Rep. Mimi Walters. During the 2018 "blue wave," Porter defeated Walters and earned a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Photo credit: Katie Porter for Governor Like Swalwell, Porter also rose to national prominence during Trump's first presidency, particularly for her pointed questioning during congressional hearings. Two years ago, Porter came up short in the U.S. Senate primary election, coming in third place behind Republican Steve Garvey and now-U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California. Porter received about 8% support in the recent Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics poll in this year's race for governor. ...read more read less