California election results: Who wins statewide offices?

from Kate WolfeCalMatters

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Californians have more to vote on today than just decide who they want to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom.

They also vote for several statewide offices, ranging from the governor’s second in command to the state’s insurance market regulator.

The top two vote-getters will go on the general election ballot, and voters will cast a final ballot in November.

Prosecutor General: Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta faced a challenge from Republican Michael Gates for the role of California’s top cop. Gates, a former trial attorney who served as Huntington Beach city attorney and deputy United States attorney, raised less than half of what Bonta raised to retain his seat. Bonta and his predecessor, Xavier Becerra, used their office to file dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration.

Superintendent of Public Instruction: The state superintendent runs the state department of education, overseeing school districts throughout the state. However, local school districts largely control budget and curriculum decisions, and the superintendent’s role could be reduced to basic advocacy if the governor can convince the Legislature to transfer some of the offices’ responsibilities to the State Board of Education. The uncertain future of the role hasn’t stopped former and current Democratic lawmakers such as Anthony Rendon, Josh Newman and Al Muratsuchi from jumping into the race. Surprisingly, two of the state’s most influential education organizations — the California Association of Teachers and the California Association of Charter Schools — bypassed veteran lawmakers and instead endorsed Democrat Richard Barrerapresident of the San Diego Unified School District. Sonja Shaw, the former president of the Chino Valley Unified School Board, was endorsed by both Republican gubernatorial candidates.

Lieutenant Governor: The role of the second governor is largely ceremonial, with the biggest responsibility involving filling in when the governor is absent. The lieutenant governor also sits on several boards and commissions and has the ability to cast the deciding vote if the state Senate is deadlocked. Three Democrats made the most money: Josh Friday, a member of Newsom’s cabinet, followed by state Treasurer Fiona Ma and former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs.

Controller: Democratic incumbent Malia M. Cohen faced two challengers for the state’s chief accountant seat. Megan Adams, a school bus driver from San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, is running on a progressive platform as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party. Herb W. Morgan, a Republican, ran on a promise to expose government fraud.

Leveling Board: This five-member panel is the only elected tax board in the nation. It advises county assessors, determines the taxable value of property owned by utilities and railroads, and hears some taxpayer appeals. Four districts are up for election this year: District 1, covering much of inland California; Region 2, coastal California north of Los Angeles; District 3, representing the Los Angeles area; and District 4, which covers the San Diego area.

Secretary of State: Republican Donald P. Wagner, Orange County Supervisor, is challenging Democratic incumbent Shirley Weber for the role of the state’s top elections official. Wagner supports requiring voter identification at the polls and criticized Weber for the state’s slow ballot-counting process. Weber was appointed to her role by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 after eight years in the Assembly and won a four-year term in 2022. She oversaw the implementation of universal mail-in voting in the state and is committed to further expanding voter access.

Treasurer: Democratic candidates have outpaced Republicans in fundraising for the role of state treasurer, California’s top banker. The role requires managing and investing unspent taxpayers’ money and overseeing the state’s borrowing and debt. Anna Caballero, recently chaired the powerful state Senate Appropriations Committee, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from major donors, including unions, tribes and businesses. Kounalakis originally ran for governor but dropped out at the end of 2025.

Insurance Commissioner: Californians are getting a chance to weigh in on who should regulate the state’s insurance market, which is grappling with how to deal with insurers leaving the state amid rising wildfire risks. Current and former Democratic state Reps. Ben Allen and Stephen Bradford are among the candidates, as is Democrat Patrick Wolf, a financial analyst whose campaign is largely self-funded. The GOP endorsed insurance agent Stacey A. Korsgaden.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.