What’s at stake in this race

The secretary of state oversees the administration of all federal and state elections in California, including certifying candidates and initiatives for statewide ballots, issuing voter guides and ensuring votes are properly counted. The office also handles corporate business filings, maintains the state archives and manages a database of lobbyist registration and campaign finance disclosures.

Shirley N. Weber

Party: Democratic
Occupation: Incumbent

Weber, the daughter of Arkansas sharecroppers who fled the Jim Crow south, became the first Black secretary of state in California history by appointment in 2021, after serving eight years in the Assembly. She then easily won a full four-year term in 2022. Weber’s had an eventful tenure, overseeing the state’s permanent implementation of universal mail-in voting, administering high-profile elections such as the recall against Gov. Gavin Newsom, taking local governments to court over voting laws and fielding claims of election fraud. She pledged to expand voting access, improve transparency in election filings and enhance cybersecurity protections in a second term.

Key endorsements

• California Democratic Party
• California Federation of Teachers
• SEIU California

Related links

• Weber is open to fixing slow California election results

Donald P. (Don) Wagner

Party: Republican
Occupation: Orange County Supervisor

Wagner, an Orange County supervisor, former mayor of Irvine and ex-state assemblymember, is running on a platform of election integrity. As supervisor, he criticized the state’s COVID-19 response, questioned the county’s investment in diversity, equity and inclusion programs and pushed for the release of sensitive voter information to President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice over claims of voting irregularities. He supports requiring voter ID at the polls and criticizes Weber for the state’s slow ballot-counting process.

Key endorsements

• California Republican Party
• Reform California
• California Republican Assembly

More candidates

Gary N. Blenner
Party: Green
Occupation: Teacher

Michael Feinstein
Party: Green
Occupation: Electoral Reform Consultant

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