Two Republicans have thrown their names into the list of candidates to represent their party in the next California governor’s election in 2014. The following is a quick primer on the candidates.

Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado – Maldonado served California as lieutenant governor during the end of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s tenure.

He began his political career as the mayor of Santa Maria, CA serving from 1996-1998. Afterwards, he served in both the California Assembly and Senate before his appointment as Lt. Gov.

His chances of gaining the nomination are very high. Gov. Schwarzenegger touted his ability to reach across the aisle during his appointment hearings in 2010. He is the son of immigrant farmers and has some pull among Latino voters, which are a major voting block in California.

Maldonado also recently came out in support of same-sex marriage when one of his cousins came out, despite supporting Proposition 8 in 2008.

“Deep down in my heart, what has changed is what has gone on in my family, and if two people love each other and they happen to be from the same sex, you ought to have the same thing that I am enjoying today, to love someone and to live in a happy home and to be married,” said Maldonado to the L.A. Times in June.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly – Donnelly has been serving the California Assembly since 2010, in the 59th and 33rd districts.

Before his public life, he was a businessman and later founded a chapter of the Minuteman movement in California in 2005.

His chances of gaining the nomination are unlikely. Donnelly’s voting record won the hearts of Tea Party voters in his district to win elections, a fringe group within a party that is struggling to stay competitive in California.

In the Assembly, he has fought against all forms of immigration reform at the state level. Donnelly was recently an ardent opponent of a bipartisan bill that would allow transgender students to choose bathrooms in public schools.

In January he even boarded a plane with a loaded Colt handgun.

“I completely forgot, coming back to work this morning, that [the gun] was in my briefcase,” Donnelly said to reporters gathered at the Assembly chambers on January 5. “It was about as heavy as it is when you carry a laptop. So it just didn’t register.”