{"id":2474468,"date":"2025-08-13T22:20:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T02:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cas-lieutenant-governor-drops-out-of-gubernatorial-race-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T22:21:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T02:21:48","slug":"cas-lieutenant-governor-drops-out-of-gubernatorial-race-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cas-lieutenant-governor-drops-out-of-gubernatorial-race-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"CA\u2019s lieutenant governor drops out of gubernatorial race &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcas-lieutenant-governor-drops-out-of-gubernatorial-race-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2474468&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis has withdrawn from the 2026 gubernatorial race to succeed term-limited Governor Gavin Newsom. Rather,she announced her candidacy for California state treasurer,aiming to leverage her experience as a former U.S. ambassador, housing developer, and the state&#8217;s first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-inclusion-trumps-neo-nazi-cosplay-in-race-to-succeed-blackface-democrat\/\" title=\"GOP Inclusion Trumps Neo-Nazi Cosplay in ... To Succeed Blackface ...\">female lieutenant governor<\/a> to impact California&#8217;s financial future.State Senator Anna Caballero, the current chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has challenged Kounalakis to multiple debates during the treasurer campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Kounalakis&#8217; exit narrows the Democratic field to seven candidates, including U.S. Representative Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former State senate President pro Tem Toni atkins, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former State Controller Betty Yee, former Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and businessman Stephen J. Cloobeck. The Republican candidates are Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.<\/p>\n<p>California&#8217;s top-two <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >primary election system means<\/a> the two candidates with the most votes, nonetheless of party, will advance to the general election. A recent Emerson College poll shows Katie Porter leading with 18% support, followed by Hilton at 12%, with 38% of voters undecided.Former Vice President Kamala Harris has decided not to run for governor, fueling speculation that billionaire developer Rick caruso might enter the race. Governor newsom is widely expected to run for president but has not announced his plans.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"ld-4686-3758\"><\/div>\n<p><script>(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:14832835450050406,size:[0, 0],id:\"ld-4686-3758\"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.decide.dev\/_js\/ajs.js\";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,\"script\",\"ld-ajs\");<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">CA&rsquo;s lieutenant governor drops out of gubernatorial race<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2203427\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Democratic<\/a> field for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">California<\/a> gubernatorial race has become a little less crowded.<\/p>\n<p>California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis has dropped out of the 2026 race to succeed Democratic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a>, who is termed-out.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3499159\/wes-moore-trump-national-guard-deployment-offensive-personal-ego\/\">Wes Moore calls Trump&#8217;s National Guard orders &#8216;offensive&#8217; and a &#8216;deployment of personal ego&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3498978\/curtis-sliwa-dubs-eric-adams-and-andrew-cuomo-diet-mamdani\/\">Curtis Sliwa dubs Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo &#8216;diet&#8217; Mamdani<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3499090\/texas-democrats-indiana-plead-aid-weigh-returning-home-special-session\/\">Texas Democrat pleads for aid as some weigh returning home after special session ends<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Kounalakis announced recently she decided instead to run against state Sen. Anna Caballero, a fellow Democrat, for state treasurer.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This decision was not made lightly,&rdquo; Kounalakis said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/emergency-wisconsin-lawsuit-to-stop-certification-challenges-nearly-160000-votes\/\" title=\"Emergency Wisconsin Lawsuit To Stop Certification Challenges Nearly 160,000 Votes\">news release<\/a> that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EleniForCA\/status\/1953821788796055890\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">she posted on X<\/a>. She said she believes she will make the greatest impact by focusing on California&rsquo;s financial future as treasurer. She cited her experience as a former U.S. ambassador, a former housing developer and the first woman to serve as California&rsquo;s lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n<p>In a news release emailed Tuesday to The Center Square, Caballero challenged Kounalakis to a series of debates in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, the Central Valley and on the Central Coast. Caballero cited her experience as the current chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the former mayor of Salinas in Monterey County. She also served as secretary of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency under Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and was an Assembly member.<\/p>\n<p>Kounalakis&rsquo; decision to drop out of the governor&rsquo;s race leaves seven Democratic candidates:&nbsp;U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (who represented Orange County in Congress), former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former California State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former state Controller Betty Yee, former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Diamond Resorts International founder Stephen J. Cloobeck.<\/p>\n<p>The Republicans running for governor are Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton.<\/p>\n<p>Under California&rsquo;s election laws,&nbsp; the two candidates with the greatest number of votes in the 2026 primary, regardless of party affiliation, will face off in the general election.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/emersoncollegepolling.com\/california-2026-poll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A new Emerson College poll<\/a>&nbsp;shows Porter leading the race with 18% of the support. Hilton is in second place at 12%. Before she dropped out of the governor&rsquo;s race, Kounalakis tied with Becerra for sixth place in the poll with 3%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to the poll, 38% of voters are undecided.<\/p>\n<p>As previously reported by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/california\/article_4c10af4b-011a-4fe6-9732-0d7f3eb1fbd4.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Center Square<\/a>, former Vice President Kamala Harris decided against running for governor. The Democrat, who lost to Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, has not announced whether she will run for president in 2028. She did say, though, that she plans to announce details about her plans in the months ahead.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3498785\/california-new-redistricting-maps-unveiled-as-early-as-friday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">DRAFT OF CALIFORNIA&rsquo;S NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP COULD BE UNVEILED AS EARLY AS FRIDAY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Harris&rsquo; decision not to run has led to speculation that developer Rick Caruso, who lost to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the 2022 mayoral race, could enter the gubernatorial race. In fact, the Emerson College poll showed 4% of voters already supporting Caruso, a Democrat and billionaire.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom is widely expected by Democrats and Republicans to run for president, but hasn&rsquo;t announced his plans. The Emerson College poll reported 23% of California Democratic primary voters say they would back Newsom for president.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2203427\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2203427\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CA Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis exits 2026 governor race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2474469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eleni-kounalakis-california-ltgov.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,3728,40275,48079,5894],"class_list":["post-2474468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-election","tag-gubernatorial-race","tag-lieutenant-governor","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/eleni-kounalakis-california-ltgov.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2474468"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2474472,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474468\/revisions\/2474472"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2474469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2474468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2474468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2474468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}