Lieutenant Governor
The lieutenant governor is next in line to the governor in case of an absence or vacancy, but much of the job is ceremonial. They stand in when the governor leaves California, serve as president of the state Senate with the ability to break a tie vote and sit on California’s higher education boards. The office has a budget of nearly $3 million.
Candidates
Fiona Ma
Ma is a longtime state official, having served in top elected roles at various executive agencies. Since 2019, she has been state treasurer, the state’s top asset manager and financier, where she oversees the world’s fourth-largest economy. She previously was on the Board of Equalization from 2014 to 2018 and was a San Francisco supervisor. A former assemblymember, Ma served four terms in the state Legislature and was second-in-line in Assembly leadership during her final term.
Gloria Romero
Romero, a former longtime Democratic lawmaker who served nearly 12 years in the state Legislature, became a registered Republican in 2024 after years of expressing discontent with the Democratic Party. She differs with Democrats on school choice, COVID-19 policies and gender identity. From 2005 to 2008, Romero was Senate majority leader, the first woman to serve in that role. Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, a political ally, asked her to be “on the ticket” with him.
Endorsements
Fiona Ma
- California Labor Federation
- State Building and Construction Trades Council
- AFSCME
Gloria Romero
Campaign finance
Candidate committees
Candidates raise money to run for office through their campaign committees. The committees must identify large donors who give $100 or more. In the tables below, we exclude small donors whose contributions total less than $100 and any transfers from a candidate’s previous campaign committee for a different race. Contribution limits vary by office and type of donor.
- Large donors
- Small donors
- Self-funding
- Difference to opponent
Fiona Ma
Gloria Romero
Outside spending
Separate from candidate committees, outside groups can pay for ads, mailers and other efforts to influence voters. They can’t coordinate that spending with candidate committees. There is no limit on how much they can spend.
- Support
- Oppose
- Difference to opponent
Fiona Ma
Gloria Romero
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Fiona Ma
Gloria Romero
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