California’s 2026 Superintendent Race Loses Voter Focus

A May poll by the Public Policy Institute of California finds 32 % of voters undecided about the superintendent race, heading to a June 2 primary. Among roughly a dozen declared candidates, none exceeds 10 % support, creating a ten-way tie. The same poll shows Richard Barrera and Sonja Shaw each at 7 % support. Fundraising is modest; no candidate has raised over $1 million, far below the $50 million total in 2018.

Calmatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January budget proposal would remove the superintendent from oversight of the California Department of Education and place the department under the State Board of Education, whose members are appointed by the governor. The change would shift authority over the state’s 10,000 public schools to governor’s office and awaits legislative approval.

Calmatters

The California Teachers Association has endorsed Richard Barrera, a San Diego Unified school-board member, for superintendent. Other candidates are Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, former Senate education committee chair Josh Newman, former Assembly speaker Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Community College District board member Nichelle Henderson, and Sonja Shaw, a Chino Valley school-board member known for her transgender-student stance. Lance Christensen, vice president of the California Policy Center, predicts Shaw could advance as Democratic votes split.

Calmatters

Education professor Morgan Polikoff of USC noted past elections carried “urgency and a sense that who won really mattered,” a dynamic missing. Union president David Goldberg called the race “off the radar because the governor’s race has taken up so much bandwidth.” Her advocacy for parental notification of transgender students and gender-aligned sports has drawn criticism; Christensen called her a “lightning rod” whose issue focus could dominate the campaign.

Calmatters

Marshall Tuck, former Green Dot charter chief, said charter schools have left the superintendent debate, noting many now have unions and enrollment has plateaued at about 10 % of K-12 students. He argued that removing “charter vitriol” lets candidates focus on teacher shortages and stagnant reading and math scores.

Calmatters

Coverage relies on a statewide poll and limited fundraising data, leaving uncertainty about front-runners. No candidate has released a policy platform, and the impact of Newsom’s restructuring remains untested.

Calmatters

• “There’s no lack of qualified candidates, but previous elections had an urgency and a sense that who won really mattered,” — Morgan Polikoff, USC professor

Calmatters

• “The superintendent race is off the radar because the governor’s race has taken up so much bandwidth,” — David Goldberg, CTA president

Calmatters

• “They can say anything they want about her, but she’s such a lightning rod that now everyone knows who she is,” — Lance Christensen, California Policy Center VP

Calmatters

• “Now that we’ve removed the charter vitriol, we can focus on bigger issues,” — Marshall Tuck, EdVoice CEO

Calmatters

The June 2 primary will select the two candidates for the November ballot. Legislative action on Newsom’s restructuring is expected later this year, potentially redefining the superintendent’s authority before the next officeholder takes office.

Calmatters