Gloria Romero seeks California lieutenant governor seat

Gloria Romero faces Democrat Fiona Ma in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for California lieutenant governor. The statewide race appears on Santa Monica ballots.

Romero, a Republican born in Barstow, was the first woman to serve as Senate majority leader in the history of the California State Senate. She switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party on Sept. 4, 2024, citing what she called the Democratic Party's abandonment of working-class families and parental rights, according to her Wikipedia biography.

Candidate information

Party: Republican
Hometown: Barstow, California
Education: Associate of arts, Barstow Community College; bachelor of arts, California State University, Long Beach; master of arts, California State University, Long Beach; doctor of philosophy in psychology, University of California, Riverside

Experience and public service

Romero served in the California State Assembly representing District 49 from 1998 to 2001, including a stint as majority whip, according to Pepperdine School of Public Policy. She then represented District 24 in the California State Senate from 2001 to 2010 and served as Senate majority leader from 2005 to 2008.

Before entering the Legislature, Romero served as a board of trustees member at the Los Angeles Community College District from 1995 to 1998. She is the founder and executive director of Scholarship Prep Charter School and has served as adjunct faculty at Pepperdine School of Public Policy. Romero has also said she was a professor at Cal State Los Angeles, according to her campaign website.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Romero's campaign website and her responses on BallotReady. They represent the candidate's own statements.

Fire prevention and energy: Romero said she rejects what she calls a "Let Them Burn" approach to wildfire policy. She said she would push for fire prevention, faster permitting for rebuilding and restructuring state commissions she says answer to special interests rather than communities. She also said she would work with federal partners to explore untapped energy reserves.

Education: higher ed: Romero said California's community colleges should be gateways to opportunity and called for fighting fraud in the application system. She said she supports restoring merit in admissions and protecting academic standards. She also said she would hold campus administrators accountable to ensure nondiscrimination, with particular attention to the safety of Jewish students and students of all backgrounds.

Education: K-12: Romero said she would work to integrate the K-12 system more fully with higher education so students graduate prepared for college, careers and life.

Women's sports: Romero said she would stand up for women's sports and Title IX protections.

Budget and oversight: Romero said she would push for serious oversight of taxpayer dollars, particularly in workforce training programs.