Experience puts Atkins at front of pack for governor

If elections were solely decided by experience, Toni Atkins might be the oddson favorite to be the next governor of California.

Being a successful politician takes more than that, of course, namely raising a lot of money, gaining the support of politically powerful groups and building name identification among a wide swath of voters.

Atkins, the Democratic state senator from San Diego and current president pro tempore of the Legislature’s upper house, has proved capable of that in past campaigns, but on a much smaller scale.

How she competes on that front in a growing field of candidates may be the key question of the 2026 campaign for governor.

Three opponents, and possibly a fourth, have won statewide elections to constitutional offices. Atkins has not, though the senator has an elevated profile by serving in legislative leadership positions and raising millions of dollars for legislative campaigns.

Less of a question is whether Atkins has the experience to be the state’s chief executive. Few can match the senator’s political resume, or boot-strapsup personal history, for that matter.

Atkins spoke about both Friday at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, where she announced her candicacy to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will be termed out of office.

If elected, Atkins said there will be little need for on-the-job training.

“I’m not going to have to do the research on the problems facing the state,” she said in an interview. “I’m going to hit the ground running.”

Having grown up in poverty without health care coverage, Atkins said she has been “working on issues that were part of my early life experience.”

Her political and personal histories are well known in San Diego. Now she has to tell that story across the state.

She served on the San Diego City Council and briefly as acting mayor. Elected to the Assembly in 2010, Atkins rose to speaker, becoming the first lesbian to do so.

Atkins has a similar

distinction as the first openly LGBTQ state Senate president pro tempore. She won a Senate seat in 2016 and became the leader of that house two years later. The senator is the first woman and just the third person ever to hold both of the Legislature’s top jobs.

After the governor, Atkins arguably has been the most powerful person in California government in recent years. The senator has had major influence on shaping eight budgets and numerous policies, including measures for tax credits for the poor, housing, health care and a $7.5 billion water bond.

Looking forward, Atkins stressed the need to focus on ongoing budget deficits and growing concerns about public safety.

Before becoming a politician, she was director of a local women’s health care clinic, which put her on the front lines in the battle over abortion decades ago. As a legislator, she pushed bills aimed at improving reproductive health care and in 2022 was a leader, along with Newsom, in getting a ballot measure passed that put the right to abortion and contraception in the California Constitution.

“That was incredibly meaningful to me,” Atkins said. “I feel like I’ve come full circle.”

Atkins is known for a low-key, personal and collegial approach more than flashy pronouncements. The senator’s inclusive nature extends to behindthe-scenes negotiations.

With Democrats holding a supermajority in the Senate (as well as the Assembly), Atkins could have largely ignored Republicans. But the Senate leader made sure Republicans had their bills heard in public hearings and pushed for former Republican Senate Leader Shannon Grove to be included in briefings with the Newsom administration, according to the Associated Press.

If elected, she would be the first woman and first openly LGBTQ governor of California. California may be the most diverse state in the nation, but that has not been reflected in what is known at the Capitol as the “corner office,” which has been occupied almost uniformly by White men.

There’s a good chance that string will break with the 2026 election, regardless of how Atkins does. Among the other Democratic candidates so far are:

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a businesswoman and former ambassador to Hungary who has considerable personal wealth, as does her developer father.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a former Assembly member who is Black and had the unique distinction of belonging to the California Legislative Latino Caucus, California Legislative Black Caucus, and California Legislative Jewish Caucus.

Former state Controller Betty Yee, a former state Board of Equalization member whose parents emigrated from China.

None was a legislative leader or wielded the level of influence Atkins has had in the state Capitol. It’s not lost on the Senate leader that all three have waged statewide campaigns. But she said internal polling showed “the voters don’t know any of us that well.”

Many analysts also expect California Attorney General Rob Bonta to run and possibly U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the former state attorney general. Names of other highprofile politicians have popped up in speculation.

No well-known Republican has announced to run as yet. But if one does, there’s potential he or she could advance to the November election in 2026 by finishing second in the top-two primary if a big Democratic field splinters the vote.

Some or all of those running no doubt have compelling personal histories, but Atkins’ background seems like a movie script: the daughter of a miner and a seamstress who was raised in a house with no running water in the mountains of southwestern Virginia.

As a child, Atkins had poor eyesight and struggled in school. But that changed after the local Lions Club donated a pair of glasses to Atkins.

She was the first member of the family to attend college. After graduating, she moved to San Diego to help care for the newborn son of her twin sister, who was in the Navy, and eventually became involved in community service and politics.

“What I want to know is, does my story and experience resonate with everyday voters?” Atkins asked, adding that she believes they will.

It’s far too early to handicap the 2026 governor’s race. Atkins acknowledged the challenge of reaching out to some 27 million voters in California over the next two years. “That’s a lot of work to do,” she said.

But forging new paths, breaking glass ceilings and overcoming tough obstacles are nothing new for Atkins.

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