More than a dozen contenders are scrambling to inherit Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis' office as she terms out after two terms, turning one of California's oldest statewide posts into a surprisingly lively fight. State Treasurer Fiona Ma, former Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs and Gov. Gavin Newsom's chief service officer Josh Fryday headline a crowded field that is already sparring over higher education, housing and economic mobility. What can look like a ceremonial gig on paper has become a real-time test of which coalition - establishment Democrats, progressives or a Republican lane now fronted by former Senate leader Gloria Romero - can turn name recognition into statewide votes. Voters start cutting the field down at the June primary.
When To Vote And Who's On The Ballot
The statewide primary is scheduled for June 2, 2026, according to the California Secretary of State, which has released the certified list of candidates who will appear on the ballot. Counties plan to begin mailing ballots to voters in early May. Under California's Top Two system, the two highest vote-getters - regardless of party - advance to the November runoff. The official roster includes Democrats, Republicans, a Peace and Freedom candidate and several independents, highlighting how splintered the race is across both ideological and geographic lines.
What The Office Actually Does
The lieutenant governor is the constitutional backup to the governor, stepping in if the chief executive dies, resigns or is removed, and the office holds seats on the governing boards for the University of California, California State University and the community college systems, with authority to cast rare tie-breaking votes in the state Senate, according to the Los Angeles Times. In practice the job is often dismissed as mostly ceremonial, which helps explain why the campaigns are heavy on concrete plans for higher education and workforce training rather than proposals to reshape executive power. The post has also long served as a political stepping stone, with several recent governors using it as a launchpad to Sacramento's top job.
Fiona Ma's Pitch
State Treasurer Fiona Ma is leaning hard on her resume, touting her experience as a certified public accountant and her service on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Board of Equalization. She casts the lieutenant governor's office as a platform to push for more student housing and financial fixes at public universities, according to CalMatters. With union support and a message that she is the most seasoned, institution-ready Democrat in the field, Ma is treated as the default front-runner in much of the state, helped by a long financial resume and broad name recognition.
Michael Tubbs Wants To Rework College Costs
Michael Tubbs, the former Stockton mayor who founded End Poverty in California, argues that the lieutenant governor can use the office's influence to freeze tuition, trim administrative bloat and streamline degree pathways so more students actually graduate. His nonprofit work and his role advising the governor shape that agenda and have helped him build a profile well beyond the Central Valley. Axios has described Tubbs as a progressive comeback figure whose guaranteed income experiment still drives his pitch to voters; see Axios for profile coverage.
Josh Fryday's Case
Josh Fryday, who runs the state's service and volunteer programs and previously served as Novato's mayor and as a Navy JAG officer, is centering his campaign on workforce development and community college reforms. The Sacramento Bee notes that Fryday highlights credentialing programs and student housing as tools to grow enrollment and meet labor demand. With ties to the governor's office and a lineup of establishment endorsements, Fryday is presenting himself as the Newsom-aligned option in the Democratic lane.
Romero's Party Switch And A GOP Angle
Former state Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, who spent more than a decade in office as a Democrat, registered as a Republican in 2024 and has linked herself to a GOP ticket; the Los Angeles Times reported that she has endorsed former President Donald Trump. That move gives Republicans an instant contender with deep Sacramento experience, even as Romero's policy ideas - including cuts to remedial coursework and voucher-style education options - clash with teachers' unions. Her campaign turns the race from an internal Democratic fight into a wider referendum on California's political direction.
Other Candidates And The Math Of The Primary
The certified list also includes Democrats Janelle Kellman, Jeyson Lopez, Oliver Ma, Tim Myers and Abdur Rahman Sikder; Republicans Ebie Lynch, David Collenberg, David Fennell and Skip Shelton; Peace and Freedom candidate Alice Stek; and independents Rakesh Christian and Sean Collinson. That full lineup appears in the state's certified candidate PDF from the California Secretary of State. With so many hopefuls fishing in overlapping voter pools, strategists say simple name recognition and the patterns in early mail ballot returns are likely to decide who survives to November.
What to watch next: whether Ma's institutional backing, Tubbs' policy-focused base or Fryday's Newsom ties can stand out in such a packed field and lock down one of the two November slots. For Bay Area voters, the outcome may hinge on which campaigns dominate union and campus organizing and how those early mail ballots break once they start landing in May. The June 2 primary will show whether the lieutenant governorship remains mostly a stepping stone or evolves into a more muscular policy platform.
