California Senate chooses new leader, first Latina to hold the role
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- State Sen. Monique Limón selected to lead California Senate in early 2026.
- Limón will be first woman of color to serve as Senate President Pro Tempore.
- Democratic caucus finalized internal vote after weekend of transition talks.
California Democratic leaders in the state Senate decided on a new leader Monday, electing state Sen. Monique Limón, D-Goleta, to take the role of Senate President Pro Tempore in early 2026. She will replace current Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Santa Rosa, during his last year in the Senate. Limón will be the first woman of color to ever hold the role.
Limon “is a tireless voice for the Central Coast and rural parts of this great state, and today is a day of history,” said McGuire during a Monday evening news conference to announce the transition.
Democratic state Senators met for over an hour after the Senate floor session Monday afternoon. Occasional rounds of applause were heard coming from the Maddy Lounge, where the 30 Senators convened, some over Zoom.
The meeting was the culmination of a weekend of talks between lawmakers about who would take over the role. The Pro Tem is the most powerful position in the Senate, in charge of setting the body’s legislative agenda and meeting with the Assembly Speaker and Governor to make decisions.
When asked about why the negotiations happened this weekend, Limón said figuring out the transition was a Democratic caucus decision and had not been completely expected.
State Sen. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, said the idea of the transition had been in the back of people’s minds, and lawmakers started “making commitments” of who they wanted to be the next Senate leader on Friday. He confirmed other candidates for the position were state Sens. Lena Gonzalez, Angelique Ashby, and Steve Padilla.
“It was sort of a snowball, running downhill,” McNerney said. “Once one or two commitments are made, people think, ‘Well, I better show who I want.’”
Limón needed 16 votes — a majority of the 30 Senate Democrats — to force an internal caucus vote.
McGuire said the vote had been unanimous on Monday that the Central Coast lawmaker should be the next leader.
McGuire was voted Senate Pro Tem by his colleagues in 2023 and began officially in 2024, taking over from close ally Toni Atkins as she termed out. Colleagues described the North Coast lawmaker to The Bee as an energetic person and hard worker.
McGuire’s term was marked by a focus on wildfire mitigation and rural and North Coast issues.
Limón served in the Assembly from 2016 to 2020, and then transitioned to the Senate in 2020.
She is expected to take McGuire’s spot in early 2026, although the exact date is not known.
“It’s not a moment I dreamed of, because in order to dream about moments, you have to know what the possibilities are,” she said Monday.
“We are electing the first woman of color ever in history to serve in this role. This is significant.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2025 at 6:09 PM with the headline "California Senate chooses new leader, first Latina to hold the role."
