Black Candidates Appearing on Your June 2 Ballot
California Primary Elections: Black Candidates Appearing on Your June 2 Ballot
Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media
The June 2, 2026, primary election will test the voter appeal of Black political candidates in California, where Black residents make up about 6.5% of the population.
At least 57 Black candidates are competing across multiple levels of government.
Six of 8 statewide contests (75%) include Black candidates.
At the top of the ticket, eight Black candidates are running for governor: Tony Thurmond(D), Akinyemi Agbede (D), Sophia Edum-a-Sam (D), Derek Grasty (D), Barack D. Obama Shaw (D), Ramsey Roberson (Peace and Freedom Party), Duane Terrence Loynes Jr (No Party Preference) and Nancy D. Young (No Party Preference).
Thurmond, who currently serves as California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, is the most recognizable name among the Black candidates.
The race for Lt. Governor includes Michael Tubbs (D), the former mayor of Stockton, along with Ebie Lynch (R), Skip Shelton (R) and Sean Collinson (No Party Preference).
Shirley N. Weber (D) is seeking reelection as Secretary of State, and Malia M. Cohen (D) is running to retain her position as State Controller. Former State Sen. Steven Bradford (D) and Keith W. Davis (American Independent Party) are running for insurance commissioner.
Nichelle M. Henderson and Ainye Long, are running for Superintendent of Public Instruction, a nonpartisan office that oversees the state’s K-12 education system.
No Black candidates are running for state treasurer or attorney general in this election.
Only 1 of 4 Board of Equalization campaigns includes a Black candidate. Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D) is running in District 3, which includes parts of South Los Angeles, Long Beach and surrounding communities.
Black candidates are running in 14 of California’s 52 congressional districts (27%).
In Congressional District (CD) 2, which covers a large portion of Northern California, Jimih Jones (R) is on the ballot. In the Sacramento region, Lauren Babb Tomlinson(D) is running in CD 6, and Ralph Nwobi (R) in CD 7.
In the Bay Area, Gregory M. Haynes (D) is running in CD 11, while incumbent Lateefah Simon (D) is running in CD 12 in Oakland.
In the Central Valley, Kevin Lincoln (R), the former mayor of Stockton, is on the ballot in CD 13.
Los Angeles County remains a central hub for Black political activity. In CD 34, which includes central Los Angeles (LA), Arthur Dixon (D) is on the ballot. In CD 37, which covers parts of Southwest LA, incumbent Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D) is running alongside John Thompson Parker (Peace and Freedom), Ryan Duckett (D) and Steve Hill(No Party Preference).
In CD 43, which includes South LA and Inglewood, longtime Rep. Maxine Waters (D) is running for reelection alongside Myla Rahman (D).
Other candidates running in districts across Southern California include Shonique Williams(D) on the ballot in CD 41 in the Inland Empire. In San Diego County, Eric Shaw (D) is running in CD 48, and Deborah Calhoun-Rhodes (D) and Jeff Belle (R) are on the ballot in CD 52. Star Parker (R) is running in CD 49, which includes parts of coastal Southern California.
State Senate races show a smaller but focused presence of Black candidates. There are Black candidates on the ballot in 3 of 40 State Senate district races (7.5%).
In Senate District (SD) 12, which includes parts of the Central Valley, William Brown Jr.(Libertarian) is on the ballot. In SD 28, covering downtown LA, parts of West LA to South Los Angeles, incumbent Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D) is running alongside Daphne D. Bradford (No Party Preference). In SD 32, which includes parts of Riverside County, Tiffanie Tate (D) is also on the ballot.
In the State Assembly, Black candidates are running in 13 of 80 districts (16%), with the largest concentration in Los Angeles County and surrounding regions.
In Assembly District (AD)11, which includes parts of Solano and Contra Costa counties, incumbent Lori D. Wilson (D) is running alongside Rochelle Conner (No Party Preference). In AD 12 in the North Bay, Jackie Elward (D) is running and in AD 13 in Stockton, incumbent Rhodesia Ransom (D) is on the ballot.
In the Bay Area, incumbent Mia Bonta (D) is running in AD 18 alongside Andre Sandford(D).
In Southern California, Rickey Tracy Hayes II (R) is running in AD 40 in San Bernardino County. In AD 55 in Los Angeles, incumbent Isaac Bryan (D) is on the ballot alongside Ashley M. Brown (D). In AD 57, incumbent Sade Elhawary (D) and Constance Jewel Menzies (R) are running.
In AD 60 in Riverside County, incumbent Corey Jackson (D) and Ron Edwards (R) are on the ballot. In District 61 in Inglewood, incumbent Tina McKinnor (D) is running unopposed.
In AD 65, which includes parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties, Ayanna Davis (D), Vinson Eugene Allen (D) and Lamar Lyons (D) are running to replace Mike Gipson, the only Black legislator terming out at the end of the current legislative session.In AD 69 in Santa Ana and Anaheim, Carolyn J. Essex (D) is on the ballot, and in AD 70 in the Huntington Beach area, Paula Swift (D) is running.
In AD 79 in San Diego, incumbent LaShae Sharp-Collins (D) is on the ballot.
Voting will take place over several weeks. County elections officials will begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots on May 4, the same day early voting sites open. Ballot drop-off locations open May 5.
The last day to register to vote for the primary is May 18. In counties operating under the Voter’s Choice Act, voting centers will open for early in-person voting on May 23.
Primary Election Day is June 2, when polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The June 2 primary will determine which candidates advance to the general election in November.
To print readers: for links to candidate websites, read this story online and click on each candidate’s name.
