Candidate Toni Atkins drops out of California governor's race

Toni Atkins, former leader of the state senate, dropped out of the 2026 California governor's race on Monday. 

Atkins, a Democrat from San Diego, announced her decision in a post on X and an email sent to her supporters.

"Despite the strong support we've received and all we've achieved, there is simply no viable path forward to victory," Atkins wrote. "Though my campaign is ending, I will keep fighting for California's future."

After announcing her campaign in January 2024, Atkins vowed to make "California's promise" more accessible, as "too many people are struggling to thrive, and that must change."

"Growing up in rural Virginia, I was often reminded that I didn't fit in — too country, too poor, too gay. But when I came to this state, I found something different: opportunity and acceptance," Atkins wrote. "California gave me everything. I entered this race because I still believe in the promise of California — and I've spent my life trying to fulfill that promise for more Californians."

Atkins began her political career in 2000, after she was elected to replace her former boss, LGBTQ+ trailblazer Christine Kehoe, on the San Diego City Council. 

A decade later, she was elected to the state Legislature and became the first lesbian to be selected as Speaker of the Assembly in 2014, according to the California State Senate archive. In 2016, voters elected Atkins to the state Senate. She became the first woman and first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve as president pro tempore of the California Senate in March 2018.

She is the third person in state history to serve as the leader of both houses of the Legislature and the first to achieve the feat in 150 years. 

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve California," Atkins wrote. "I believe, with all my heart, that California is worth fighting for."