FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — In just over a year, Gavin Newsom’s term as California’s governor will come to an end, capping off nearly eight years in office.

Now the question is – who will take over once he steps down?

We spoke to political scientist Nathan Monroe about what could be one of Californias most unpredictable gubernatorial races yet.

With Governor Gavin Newsom’s term ending, the race to replace him begins.

This race will determine who leads the worlds fifth largest economy at a time when California is facing issues such as housing and affordability.

Californias next gubernatorial election is shaping up to be crowded – and for the first time in years – there’s no incumbent on the ballot.

“You say, well, just which democrat is going to win, right? Like, sort of republicans don’t have a shot. But what we have to keep in mind, right, is that the rules of elections matter. And in California, we have the top two primary system,” said Nathan Monroe, a Political Science Professor at UC Merced.

More than a dozen candidates are vying for the spot.

On the democratic side, contenders include former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier barrera, former U.S. Representative Katie Porter, Representative Eric Swalwell, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and former State Controller Betty Yee.

Political experts say the size of the field could make turnout and name recognition decisive and could lead to unexpected results in the primary.

“But if you divide that pie up by just two, and you divide the democratic pie up, which is admittedly a larger pie, by 7 or 8, the concern you get here is that democrats are going to lose out on even running to the general election. So even though there might be more democratic votes to be found in California for governor, they might not have a shot to cast those ballots for a democrat on the general election ballot,” said Monroe.

Monroe says party leaders may need to step in soon.

“I think the concern has to be among voters and I’m sure among the party leaders, so to speak, right, the party leaders sort of amorphously, is that they’ve got to figure out a way to delicately, you know, assure some candidates out of the race and figure out which candidates those should be and figure out how to manage those personalities and try to coordinate all the things that go in and around a gubernatorial election,” said Monroe.

On the Republican side, former Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Fox News contributor Steve Hilton.

With just a few months from the midterm elections, Monroe says both parties need to organize.

“What’s happening behind the scenes for the parties to try to coordinate themselves to make sure that the field that they offer to voters in June is a field that gives them the best chance for their best candidate to go forward to the general election,” said Monroe.

The primary election is set for June, with the general election in December.

CORTE MADERA, Calif. (AP) — Heavy rain and high tides believed to be the most severe in two decades caused flooding in parts of Northern California on Saturday, prompting road closures and rescues of residents trapped in their cars.

Roadways through a 15-mile (24-kilometer) stretch from the Sausalito area to San Rafael were flooded after a downpour coincided with record-breaking “ King Tides,” Marin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Dobbins said.

No injuries were reported but authorities were called to assist when cars got stuck in floodwater as high as three and four feet (1.1 and 1.2 meters), he said.

“There is a lot of water in the roadways,” Dobbins said, adding the tides were reportedly the highest in more than two decades. “Along with heavy rains, it just created the perfect storm for flooding on the streets.”

Authorities in the communities near San Francisco asked residents to stay home wherever possible until waters recede. Some residents kayaked along what normally would be city streets. Others waded out in water that passed their knees.

A flood warning was in place for the San Francisco area until 2 p.m. Saturday and an advisory until 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in San Francisco.

King Tides occur when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment and the moon is in its closest position to the Earth, creating a stronger gravitational pull.