Five major candidates are competing for California's lieutenant governor seat in the upcoming June primary. The position, while mostly ceremonial, carries limited but notable responsibilities: the lieutenant governor succeeds the governor if they are absent or unable to serve, presides over the state Senate, and holds seats on all three of California's higher education boards.
Current Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who cannot run again due to term limits, has wielded most of her influence through higher education policy. Because of this institutional power, the leading Democratic candidates—state Treasurer Fiona Ma, Josh Fryday, former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, and former Sausalito Mayor Janelle Kellman—are emphasizing their plans for the state's universities and community colleges. Republican candidate Gloria Romero rounds out the major contenders.
Fryday, who leads volunteer programs in Governor Gavin Newsom's administration, has prioritized expanding community college trade programs to develop workers for clean energy projects. He also supports increasing student housing on public land to combat rising tuition costs. Newsom, the California Teachers Association, and the California Federation of Teachers have endorsed him.
Kellman, a climate attorney, seeks to make community college free and expand job training programs. However, as one of eighteen members on the University of California Board of Regents, her capacity to enact single policies is limited. She has received endorsements from the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and the LGBTQ Stonewall Democratic Club.
Ma, completing her term as state treasurer, proposes finding alternative revenue sources for Cal State universities outside the general fund, including partnerships with private companies. Her work issuing housing bonds as treasurer, she argued, gives her a distinct perspective on student housing development. Ma faced a sexual harassment lawsuit settled for $350,000 in 2024, which she said did not diminish her electoral support.
Tubbs, who served as Stockton's youngest mayor at age 26 in 2016, wants to freeze tuition at all public colleges by reducing administrative costs and remedial coursework. He currently serves as a special economic adviser to the governor and leads nonprofit organizations focused on implementing universal basic income programs.
Romero, a former Democrat who switched parties in 2024, supports school vouchers and slashing remedial coursework. A former state legislator representing east Los Angeles for 12 years, she is the first woman to have served as Senate Majority Leader. She acknowledged that negotiating with the Democratic supermajority in the Legislature as a rare Republican would require individual meetings with colleagues to identify overlapping priorities.
Previous lieutenant governors have used the office as a stepping stone to higher office—most notably Gavin Newsom, who held the position for eight years before his 2018 election as governor. The post's limited executive function has not diminished its appeal to ambitious politicians seeking statewide platforms.
