Republicans avoid November lockout in California’s lieutenant governor race
A former Democrat who once led the party’s caucus in the state Senate and who switched her allegiance to the GOP in 2024, will advance from the June 2 primary, according to the Associated Press.
Gloria Romero will face Democrat Fiona Ma in the November race, according to the Associated Press, dashing Democrats’ hopes of locking out the GOP from a race and sparing Ma an intraparty fight against two other Democratic candidates.
With almost 95% of the ballots counted, Ma won 19% of the vote, compared to 18% for Romero, almost 15% for Democrat Josh Fryday and 13% for Democrat Michael Tubbs.
The lieutenant governor is first in line for succession if a governor is incapacitated. They also preside over the state Senate and serve on a number of state boards.
Current Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is now running for state treasurer, the job that Ma now holds.
This year’s lieutenant governor primary was nearly as crowded and unsettled as the higher-profile governor’s race. Ma faced repeated attacks over a $350,000 settlement the state paid in 2024 to settle a former employee’s claims of sexual harassment. Much of those attacks were funded by a San Francisco Democrat who also spent several million dollars backing Tubbs.
Fryday was endorsed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and serves in the governor’s cabinet overseeing the state’s volunteer corps.
Ma enters the general election with a large cash advantage. Her campaign had $2.3 million cash on hand as of the last campaign filing on May 27, compared to around $66,000 for Romero.
Romero served as Democrats’ majority leader in the state Senate from 2005 to 2008. She was term-limited and left the Legislature in 2010, going on to lead an unsuccessful effort to bar payroll deductions to pay for union’s political activities as well as education reform.
Citing disagreements on Democrats with everything from gas stoves to gender identity, Romero switched parties in 2024 in a press conference hosted by former Fox News host Steve Hilton. She endorsed President Donald Trump and told the assembled media that “this is not the Democratic Party that I once championed.”
Romero ran on an informal slate with Hilton, a gubernatorial hopeful, and Republican attorney general nominee Michael Gates. All three candidates have advanced to the November general election.
This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Republicans avoid November lockout in California’s lieutenant governor race."
