With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Democrat Toni Atkins drops out of crowded race to replace Gavin Newsom
Former Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins kicked off her gubernatorial campaign in San Diego in 2024.
(
Bryan Giardinelli, Breathe New Winds
)
Democrat Toni Atkins is dropping out of the crowded 2026 race to succeed Gavin Newsom as California governor, she announced Monday.
Atkins, the former Senate president, wrote in an email to supporters that she was leaving the race with a “heavy heart” but that “there is simply no viable path forward to victory.” She made the call after failing to poll at higher than single digits, according to a person familiar with the campaign, and does not plan to run for another office in this election cycle.
Atkins launched her campaign more than a year ago in what has become an open field since former Vice President Kamala Harris declined to run this summer. Another early entrant to the race, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, also dropped out in August to run for state treasurer instead.
Newsom terms out next year. At least six other Democrats are running to replace him, including former Rep. Katie Porter, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The field could still change, with Sen. Alex Padilla also reportedly considering a run.
Sponsored message
-
Down south, a group of bagel makers is quietly generating excitement in the bagel-verse. -
The spending plan would gut prevention, outreach and supportive services to maintain temporary shelter beds and absorb rate increases previously covered by other funding sources. -
Earlier mergers, like Disney's 2019 acquisition of Fox, cut the number of films studios released theatrically — a troubling trend for theater owners already coping with consolidation and streaming.
Atkins had more than $4.2 million in her campaign account this summer, more than any of the other Democratic candidates, had the support of several allies in the Legislature and held a series of town halls throughout the state in August.
But Atkins faced steep odds in name recognition having never run for statewide office before. She came in third last in an August Politico poll, with just 4% of voters picking her among the Democrats. Leading the pack was Porter with 21% of voters. On Sunday, Atkins did not appear at a Los Angeles candidate forum, reportedly citing illness.
Atkins supported publicly funded universal health care and was a prominent advocate in the Legislature for increasing housing construction. She would have been the first openly LGBTQ governor in a field of other history-making Democratic candidates.
On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton are vying for the seat.
Trending on LAist
-
Scientists say La Niña is likely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a dry winter in Southern California. -
According to a grand jury report the contractor took advantage of strained relations and political pressures to “force” the city to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle disputes. -
Administrators say the bargaining units should be dismissed, or that they have no standing. One campus is going after the federal agency in charge of union activity. -
The landslide is not connected to the greater Portuguese Bend landslide, city officials said. -
Nom. Nom. Nom. The event destroyed the internet when it was first announced — and sold out in minutes. -
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems.
Best of LAist
