Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced he’s running for California governor in 2026, joining the already crowded field of contenders as Gov. Gavin Newsom is termed out of office.
Villaraigosa made the announcement during his television appearance on NBCLA and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52, Tuesday morning.
“California is the state where anything is possible with hard work and determination,” Villaraigosa said. “But our future depends on our willingness to face our biggest challenges. I believe we need a problem solver to lead our state. That’s why I’m running for governor.”
Villaraigosa touted his previous experience as a problem solver, having helped hire hundreds of new officers for the Los Angeles Police Department as a way to invest in crime prevention.
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The former Speaker of the State Assembly also said his previous work in balancing state budgets would help improve schools and help families across the state.
“I know we can do big things for California because I’ve done them before,” Villaraigosa declared. “As Governor, I’ll balance the state budget, make sure our neighborhoods are safe and our kids have great schools. I’ll bring down costs for small businesses and middle-class families.”
Villaraigosa, who grew up in East Los Angeles and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, served two terms as the 41st mayor of Los Angeles.
This is not his first bid for governor. He ran against then-Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2018, eventually coming in third place in the June primary, gaining fewer votes than Republican businessman John Cox.
But four years later, Villaraigosa was tapped by Newsom to serve as an infrastructure advisor to the state “to identify priority projects and maximize access to federal funding.”
While Villaraigosa would not be running against Newsom this time around, he may face top officials from the Newsom administration, including Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Attorney General Rob Bonta, who acknowledged last year that he is seriously considering running for governor.
California’s first LGBTQ+ Senate leader, Toni Atkins announced her gubernatorial candidacy in November 2023, just a couple of months after Tony Thurmond, the state superintendent of public instruction, said he hopes to become the first Black person to become California’s governor.
