In the first open race for the state’s top job since 2018, former California Controller Betty Yee declared on Wednesday that she would run for governor in 2026. She would face off against other prominent Democratic candidates to replace departing Governor Gavin Newsom.
Yee would be the first female governor of California if she were elected. She was born to Chinese immigrants in San Francisco.
Yee, who is the vice chair of the California Democratic Party at the moment, says she wants to address the climate issue, bring transparency to Sacramento, and address affordability.
“In California, things simply don’t stack up anymore. Although families are working harder than ever, housing, food, college, childcare, elder care, and other expenses are becoming unaffordable, according to Yee
Yee stated in a release. “Together, we possess the perseverance and strength to restore California’s value to all of us.”
Associated
Pink scarf-wearing woman uses a microphone to communicate
Why there is already so much competition to succeed Governor Gavin Newsom
Outside during the day, a man in a suit gestures with his hands while speaking into a microphone.
The first Black governor of California? The head of education might write history.
The Democratic primary campaign to succeed Newsom, whose term ends in 2027, is expected to draw the best candidates in the party for the opportunity to govern the most populous state in the union and the fifth-largest economy in the world.
Yee will be up against a very broad field of applicants for a position that has primarily been held
by guys of Caucasian descent. The following candidates have declared their candidacies: Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Black Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and lesbian state Senate leader Toni Atkins. The Filipino attorney general, Rob Bonta, has declared he is seriously thinking about running for office.
- Yee worked for Democratic Governor Gray Davis as his director of the budget. Subsequently, she was chosen to serve on the California State Board of Equalization before being appointed as the state controller. In addition to overseeing government agencies and allocating state funding, the California Controller is also tasked with sitting on more than 70 boards and commissions.
jontaye dzugan