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2026 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election

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2026 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election
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June 2, 2026 (first round)
November 3, 2026 (runoff)
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Incumbent Superintendent

Tony Thurmond


The 2026 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election will take place on June 2, 2026, to elect the next Superintendent of Public Instruction of California. Unlike most other elections in the state, the office is not elected under the state's nonpartisan blanket primary system. Instead, the officially nonpartisan is elected via a general election, with a runoff scheduled for November 3, 2026 if no candidate receives a majority of the vote.

Incumbent Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022, is term-limited and running for governor.[1][2]

Candidates

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The Superintendent of Public Instruction election in California is officially nonpartisan. The parties below identify which party label each candidate would have run under if given the option.

Declared

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Withdrawn

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Endorsements

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Richard Barrera (D)
Labor unions
Nichelle Henderson (D)
State legislators
County officials
Organizations
Frank Lara (PF)
Labor unions
Political parties
Al Muratsuchi (D)
Statewide officials
U.S. representatives
State legislators
Municipal officials
Labor unions
Josh Newman (D)
U.S. representatives
State legislators
Municipal officials
Labor unions
Anthony Rendon (D)
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
State legislators
Local officials
Individuals
Labor unions
Sonja Shaw (R)
Political parties
Organizations
Declined to endorse
Organizations

Notes

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  1. ^ Also known as Wellspring Progressive Democrats
  2. ^ As a merger with a local affiliate of National Education Association since 1989, collectively called the United Educators of San Francisco.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "California education chief Tony Thurmond says he is running for governor in 2026". Associated Press. September 26, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Jones, Blake (September 26, 2023). "How labor could make or break Tony Thurmond's campaign for California governor". POLITICO. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  3. ^ He, Eric; Jones, Blake; Gardiner, Dustin (May 12, 2025). "The Trump factor in the state budget". Politico. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Tat, Linh (April 15, 2025). "LACCD Trustee Nichelle Henderson wants to be California's top schools chief". Pasadena Star-News. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Nixon, Nicole (July 28, 2025). "Former California Democratic leader plans a political comeback". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "Gus Mattammal files to run for California Superintendent of Public Instruction". Cal-Access. September 1, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e Mason, Melanie; Jones, Blake; Gardiner, Dustin (February 18, 2025). "Young Kim challenger is steeped in school culture wars". Politico. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  8. ^ Schallhorn, Kaitlyn (April 11, 2025). "Former Sen. Josh Newman is now running for California's schools chief". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  9. ^ Horseman, Jeff (March 15, 2025). "Chino Valley school board President Sonja Shaw to run for state superintendent of public instruction". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Fensterwald, John (January 27, 2026). "Labor unions split among Democratic candidates for state superintendent". EdSource. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  11. ^ a b Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (January 26, 2026). "Another killing in Minneapolis sharpens SF DA's warning". Politico. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  12. ^ Jones, LaNiece (August 24, 2025). "2025/2026 Candidate Endorsements". Black Women Organized for Political Action. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  13. ^ Madera County Young Democrats [@maderacountyyoungdemocrats] (January 26, 2026). "MCYD is proud to endorse Nichelle Henderson for Superintendent of Public Instruction". Retrieved February 4, 2026 – via Instagram.
  14. ^ Wellspring Progressive Democrats of Sacramento - Our Revolution [@WellstoneDems] (December 2, 2025). "Holiday Party! Sat Dec 13th @ 6:00 pm - Mai Vang and Nichelle Henderson Endorsed". Retrieved December 13, 2025 – via Facebook.
  15. ^ Bruin Democrats [@bruindems] (January 18, 2026). "We are proud to endorse Nichelle Henderson for CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction!". Retrieved January 26, 2026 – via Instagram.
  16. ^ Golodner, David D. (October 6, 2008). "United Educators of San Francisco Local 61 Records". Wayne State University Walter P. Reuther Library. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Bernstein, David (September 3, 2025). "United Educators of San Francisco endorses its executive vice president, Frank Lara, for state superintendent of public instruction; Lara is a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation". North American Values Institute. Retrieved December 13, 2025 – via Substack.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Allen, James Preston (July 16, 2025). "Senate Majority Leader & Others Endorse Muratsuchi for State Superintendent". Random Lengths News. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h "Muratsuchi Launches Campaign for State Superintendent of Schools". Rafu Shimpo. April 7, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  20. ^ Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (January 21, 2026). "Newsom takes his Trump-bashing to the Swiss Alps". Politico. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Chmielewski, Dan (July 23, 2025). "Congressman Gil Cisneros, Decorated Veteran and Education Advocate, Throws Support Behind Josh Newman for State Superintendent of Public Instruction". The Liberal OC. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  22. ^ Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (December 17, 2025). "Meet the crypto billionaire hedging his bets for governor". Politico. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Holden, Lindsey (September 9, 2025). "Newsom: The state of the state is 'menaced' by Trump". Politico. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  24. ^ Wu, Amelia; Nixon, Nicole (September 5, 2025). "Clean California effort fills thousands of trucks with trash". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  25. ^ Gardiner, Dustin; Jones, Blake (January 22, 2026). "Newsom, Wiener and POLITICO's new firepower in LA". Politico. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  26. ^ Drouillard, Francis (November 3, 2025). "Marin GOP Endorsements". Marin County GOP. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  27. ^ California Legislative Committee for Moms for Liberty [@callegcommittee] (August 12, 2025). "As an organization, we proudly endorse Sonja Shaw for her unwavering leadership". Retrieved December 13, 2025 – via Instagram.
  28. ^ Moms 4 Liberty Placer County [@Moms4LibertyPC] (August 12, 2025). "Moms for Liberty CA is proud to endorse Sonja Shaw for Superintendent of Public Instruction". Retrieved December 13, 2025 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "East Area Progressive Democrats: Endorsements". East Area Progressive Democrats. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
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Official campaign links


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