<!-- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ --></p> <p>From <a href=""https://calmatters.org/author/jeanne-kuang/"" title=""Posts" by="" jeanne="" kuang="" class=""author" url="" fn="" rel=""author"">Jean Quang</a>Calmness</p> <p>This story was originally published by <a href=""https://calmatters.org/"">Calmatters</a>S <a href=""https://calmatters.org/subscribe-to-calmatters/"">Register</a> about their ballots.</p> <p>Democrat Tony Atkins has dropped out of the overcrowded competition in 2026 to inherit Gavin Newpom as governor of California, she reported on Monday. </p> <p>Atkins, the former president of the Senate, wrote in an email to supporters that he was leaving the “heavy heart”, but “there is simply no viable path forward to victory.” She called after failing to interview with higher than single numbers, according to a campaign, and does not plan to run for another office in this election cycle.</p> <p>Atkins launched his campaign more than a year ago in what turned into an open field after the former Vice President <a href=""https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/07/kamala-harris-governor-california/"">Kamala Harris refused to run</a> This summer. Another early participant in the race, Lieutenant Eleni Kunalakis, <a href=""https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/08/california-governors-race-kounalakis/"">also dropped in August</a> Apply for a state cashier instead.</p> <p>Newsom Terms next year. At least six other Democrats run to replace him, including former reporter Katie Porter, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Besera and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villagosa. The field can still be changed, with Senator Alex Padila also reported to be considering running.</p> <p>Atkins had more than $ 4.2 million in his campaign account this summer, more than any of the other Democrat candidates, had the support of several allies in the legislature and held a series of mayoralties across the country in August. </p> <p>But Atkins confronted the steep chances of recognizing a name, he never has been running for a state office before. She came to the third last in a Politico Ahugust poll, with only 4% of the voters who chose it among the Democrats. The leading package was a Porter with 21% of the voters. On Sunday, Atkins did not appear at a candidate forum in Los Angeles, reporting that he was referring to illness. </p> <p>Atkins supported the publicly funded universal health care and was a prominent defender in the legislature to increase the construction of housing. <a href=""https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/08/california-governors-race-toni-atkins/"">She would be</a> The first open LGBTQ governor in the area of other democratic candidates to create a history.</p> <p>On the part of the Republican side, the sheriff of Riverside Chad Bianco and former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton are fighting for the place. </p> <p>This article was <a href=""https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/09/california-governor-toni-atkins-quits/"">Originally Published on CalMatters</a> and was reissued under <a href=""https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives</a> License.</p> <p> Copy HTML
