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GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES
What’s at stake in this race
California’s controller serves as the state’s chief accountant, overseeing spending in a state that makes up one of the world’s largest economies. Whoever is elected will be in charge of auditing the state’s finances and paying government employees.
Meghann Adams
Party: Peace and Freedom
Occupation: School bus driver
A school bus driver who lives in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, Adams also is president of her union and manages its finances. She wants to expose corporate landlords that drive up rent prices, analyze the cost of imposing a single-payer Medi-Cal system and divest state investments from companies that support Israel’s war against Gaza.
Key endorsements
- Vote Socialist California
- Peace and Freedom Party
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Malia M. Cohen
Party: Democratic
Occupation: State controller
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Cohen has served as California’s controller since 2023 and is running for re-election. She’s campaigning on a promise to govern the state’s finances with “transparency, efficiency and fairness.” In recent months, as the governor and legislators hash out a budget deal, Cohen has been urging them to spend with caution.
Key endorsements
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Herb W. Morgan
Party: Republican
Occupation: Chief investment officer
Morgan is running on the promise of exposing fraud in government at a time when the Trump administration also is leveling fraud accusations against California. Morgan founded an investment firm in San Diego that was later acquired by Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors.
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Key endorsements
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