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Meet the candidates for California lieutenant governor

By Calmatters
Published May 4, 2026 at 11:25 AM PDT

This explainer was originally published by our news partners CalMatters. Be prepared for California’s primary: Sign up for CalMatters' free election newsletter and be the first to know when they update the CalMatters 2026 Voter Guide with information on key races.

What does a lieutenant governor do?

The lieutenant governor is next in line to the governor in case of an absence or vacancy, but much of the job is ceremonial. They stand in when the governor leaves California, serve as president of the state Senate with the ability to break a tie vote and sit on California’s higher education boards. The office has a budget of nearly $3 million.

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The candidates

Fiona Ma

  • Party: Democratic
  • Professional background: State treasurer
Ma is a longtime state official, having served in top elected roles at various executive agencies. Since 2019, she has been state treasurer, the state’s top asset manager and financier, where she oversees the world’s fourth-largest economy. She previously was on the Board of Equalization from 2014 to 2018 and was a San Francisco supervisor. A former assemblymember, Ma served four terms in the state Legislature and was second-in-line in Assembly leadership during her final term.

Gloria Romero
Gloria Romero

Gloria Romero

  • Party: Republican
  • Professional background: Former state senator
Romero, a former longtime Democratic lawmaker who served nearly 12 years in the state Legislature, became a registered Republican in 2024 after years of expressing discontent with the Democratic Party. She differs with Democrats on school choice, COVID-19 policies and gender identity. From 2005 to 2008, Romero was Senate majority leader, the first woman to serve in that role. Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, a political ally, asked her to be “on the ticket” with him.

Campaign finance

Tags

Politics Politics, Democracy and Elections NewsRegional GovernmentsCalifornia
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