California Senate leader announces 2026 bid for governor

• California Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins has announced her candidacy for governor of the Golden State in 2026.
• Atkins joins several other big-name Democrats, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, in the race to replace incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited.
• If elected, Atkins would be the first woman and first LGBTQ person to hold the office of California's governor.

California's Senate majority leader said Friday he intends to run for governor in 2026, entering a race far from voters' minds but requiring frequent fundraising to run in the nation's most expensive race. The state is in need of candidates and is quickly filling up with candidates. media market.

Toni Atkins, a Democrat from San Diego, made history as the third and first woman to hold both the top positions in the state Legislature: Speaker of the State Assembly and President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Atkins remains in the latter role, but is set to step down early next month for the final year of his term and cannot seek re-election due to term limits.

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Despite California's progressive reputation, the state has never had a female or openly LGBTQ governor. Ms. Atkins, who is a lesbian, could be both. But she will have to contend with powerful Democrats, including Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Superintendent Betty Yee and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. Attorney General Rob Bonta is also considering running to replace current Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is unable to seek a third term.

Mr. Kounalakis, Mr. Thurmond, Mr. Yee and Mr. Bonta have the advantage of competing in and winning a statewide election. In other words, voters will know them well. Atkins has previously been elected only by voters in San Diego.

But she is well-versed in the inner workings and policy decisions of Capitol Hill. She has negotiated multibillion-dollar budgets and major legislation with two governors. And she has a compelling personal story. She grew up in rural Virginia in a house without running water, then moved west to become one of the state's most powerful elected officials.

“I don't quite fit the mold of past governors, and I don't quite fit the mold of some of the candidates in this race,” Atkins said. “I'm going to rely on my story because I think Californians want more people like them.”

Ms. Atkins came to California in 1985 to help care for her sister's young son. She then worked at a women's clinic that performed abortions until she was elected to the San Diego City Council. After a short stint as mayor, she was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2010 and to the state Senate in 2016.

In Congress, he worked with former Gov. Jerry Brown, Newsom and others to craft a series of budgets with billions of dollars in surpluses. That ended last year when the state ran a multibillion-dollar deficit.

Newsom has steadfastly rejected large tax increases to balance the budget, something Atkins has said he would avoid if elected governor.

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“We want to preserve what we've done, and it took a lot of work,” Atkins said. “I'm not interested in raising taxes at this point. I don't think we've been asked to raise taxes yet.”