Hawks seeks California Treasurer seat Nov. 3

Jennifer Hawks, a Republican, is running for California Treasurer in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Democrat Eleni Kounalakis.

Hawks received 26.5% of the vote, or 1,411,794 votes, in the June 2, 2026, nonpartisan primary to advance to the general election, according to CalMatters. CalMatters described the primary as a six-way race.

Candidate information

Party: Republican
Residence: Bay Area (campaign P.O. Box in Palo Alto), according to the California Official Voter Information Guide
Background: Retired business executive. Hawks said she retired in 2021. CalMatters describes her as a Bay Area party activist and former private school administrator.

Experience and public service

Hawks said she is not a career politician but a business professional who spent her career managing budgets, improving operations and demanding accountability, according to her campaign website. Her professional background, as described in a Reform California interview, includes:

Banking professional at an unnamed institution
Office manager and administrative and finance support at Internet Research Group, which was acquired by Jupiter Communications
Assistant secretary to the board at Sacred Heart School in Atherton, a private school, where she worked until her 2021 retirement

On the issues

Hawks's policy positions below are drawn from her campaign website and her statements in the California Official Voter Information Guide and the Reform California interview.

Bond oversight and high-speed rail: Hawks said she opposes continued bond issuance for California's high-speed rail project, calling it a "fiasco." She said the treasurer has the power to reject bond offerings that are not financially responsible.

Public pension oversight: Hawks said she would bring the voice of the taxpayer onto the state pension boards. She said she opposes what she characterizes as politically driven investing and fraud in the pension systems.

Transparency and accountability: Hawks said she is running on a platform of restoring transparency, accountability and oversight to California's bonds, debt and pension investments. She said the treasurer's office can demand transparency and strengthen oversight of how taxpayer dollars are managed.