San Diego, California sample ballot 2026

Larry Cohen is the appointed incumbent Treasurer-Tax Collector for San Diego County, overseeing more than 16 billion dollars in public funds, per the campaign site. He previously served as Senior Policy Advisor to the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services and Chief of Staff to Congressman Juan Vargas, per the campaign site.

Shirley Nakawatase is a certified public accountant and small business owner with more than 40 years of experience in tax preparation, financial consulting and business restructuring, according to her campaign site. She earned her accounting degree from San Diego State University, per KPBS. Shirley Nakawatase appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.

Rebecca Jones is the Mayor of San Marcos with nearly 20 years of public service, including multiple terms as a San Marcos councilmember and vice mayor, per the campaign site. She also describes herself as a small business owner, per the campaign site.

Kyle Krahel serves as Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director for Congressman Mike Levin and chairs the San Diego County Democratic Party, per the campaign site. He previously served as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Oceanside and holds a government degree from Harvard University, per the campaign site.

Richard Bailey owns two businesses in San Diego and has worked as a Fortune 500 financial analyst and adjunct professor of economics at the University of San Diego, per the campaign site. He previously served as Mayor of Coronado and on the Coronado City Council, per the campaign site.

Crosby is a former deputy city attorney who prosecuted gun violence cases, per the campaign site. She has also served as Clairemont Town Council President and PTA president, per the campaign site.

Martha Abraham is a neonatal intensive care unit nurse with more than a decade of experience and holds a Master of Science in Nursing, per the campaign site. Abraham is a first time candidate for elected office; the campaign site describes an immigrant, single mother and community advocate background.

Kent Lee is the sitting San Diego City Council member for District 6 seeking re-election, per the campaign site. Lee's tenure includes investment across the district in road repaving, pothole repair and streetlight fixes, per the campaign site.

Mark Powell is a real estate broker and educator who has served as a classroom teacher, dean of students, vice principal, and university professor, per the campaign site. He is a former reserve police officer with the San Diego Police Department and currently serves on the San Diego County Board of Education, per the campaign site.

Antonio Martinez has served on the San Ysidro School Board since 2012 and previously worked as a congressional staffer for Rep. Juan Vargas managing constituent casework, per the campaign site. He is a lifelong District 8 resident, per the campaign site.

Gerardo Ramirez serves as chief of staff to San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Moreno, according to inewsource. Raised in San Ysidro, he once worked as a farmworker and has spent nearly a decade advocating for District 8, helping direct more than $107 million toward parks, roads and other community projects, per his campaign site. Gerardo Ramirez appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for San Diego City Council, District 8, per the county elections office's certified candidate list.

Steve Hilton is a Republican candidate for California governor, a former senior adviser to U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, and a conservative media commentator. His campaign argues that California needs a change from Democratic one-party rule and frames its agenda around jobs, housing, schools, and public safety.

Xavier Becerra is a Democratic candidate for California governor. He has served as U.S. secretary of health and human services, California attorney general, and a longtime member of Congress representing Los Angeles, and his campaign centers on protecting opportunity and making the California Dream more attainable.

Rob Bonta is California's incumbent attorney general and a candidate for re-election. A former state assemblymember from Alameda, he is California's first Filipino American attorney general and has emphasized consumer protection, civil rights enforcement, public safety, and defending Californians in court.

Michael Gates is a Republican candidate for California attorney general and former Huntington Beach city attorney. His campaign is built around law-and-order messaging, local government legal experience, and opposition to state policies he argues have weakened public safety.

Fiona Ma is California's state treasurer, a CPA, and a candidate for lieutenant governor. As treasurer, she manages state banking, investments, bond financing, and public finance programs that support schools, housing, infrastructure, hospitals, and local governments.

Gloria Romero is a former California Senate majority leader, former Democratic legislator, and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. Her campaign emphasizes school choice, education reform, and challenging the state's current political establishment.

Shirley N. Weber is California's incumbent secretary of state and a candidate for re-election. A former Assembly member and San Diego State University professor, she oversees statewide elections, business filings, archives, campaign and lobbying disclosure, and key transparency functions.

Donald P. Wagner is an Orange County supervisor, former Irvine mayor, former state assemblymember, and Republican candidate for California secretary of state. His campaign brings county election oversight, legislative experience, and public administration experience to the race.

Cohen is the sitting California State Controller, serving as the state's chief financial officer and sitting on more than 70 boards and commissions, per the campaign site. She previously served on the California State Board of Equalization, was the first African American woman to hold that seat, and was president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; she holds a bachelor's degree from Fisk University and a master's degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University, per the campaign site.

Herb W Morgan is a Republican candidate for California state controller and a finance professional. His campaign emphasizes auditing state spending, surfacing waste and fraud, and making California's finances easier for taxpayers to understand.

Eleni Kounalakis is California's lieutenant governor, a former U.S. ambassador to Hungary, and a Democratic candidate for state treasurer. Her campaign connects public finance experience with housing, clean energy, infrastructure, and responsible investment.

Hawks is an accountant with a career focused on budgeting and financial management, per the campaign site. She describes herself as not a career politician and would chair or sit on six state boards if elected, per the campaign site.

Jane Kim is a former San Francisco supervisor, attorney, educator, and Democratic candidate for California insurance commissioner. Her campaign emphasizes holding insurance companies accountable, protecting consumers, and improving access to coverage in a state facing wildfire and affordability pressures.

Ben Allen is a California state senator and Democratic candidate for insurance commissioner. His campaign highlights consumer advocacy, experience responding to wildfire-related insurance problems, and work on legislation affecting consumers, the environment, and state governance.

Sonja Shaw is president of the Chino Valley Unified School District board and a candidate for California superintendent of public instruction. The nonpartisan office provides statewide public education leadership, and Shaw's campaign focuses on parental involvement, academic performance, and local school accountability.

Richard Barrera is a San Diego Unified School District board member and a candidate for California superintendent of public instruction. His campaign emphasizes public school investment, student support, workforce pathways, and collaboration with educators and families.

Nelson Esparza was elected to the Fresno City Council in 2018, where he is serving his second term as Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee, according to his campaign site. He teaches Economics at Fresno City College and holds a Master of Public Policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, per the site.

Shannon Grove is a United States Army veteran who founded the staffing company Continental Labor and Staffing Resources, according to her campaign site. She was the first woman veteran elected to the California Legislature and currently represents the 16th Senate District, per the site.

John Pimentel served as California's Deputy Secretary for Transportation and as a Housing Commissioner in Menlo Park, according to his campaign site. In the private sector he has created projects and companies that built clean energy and water recycling infrastructure, per the site.

Mike Gipson currently represents the 65th District in the California State Assembly, a seat he has held since 2014, according to his campaign site. Before the Assembly, he served as a Carson City Council Member, a police officer, and Chief of Staff for a former Chair of the Board of Equalization, per the site.