Shirley Weber, the Democratic incumbent, is running for reelection as California secretary of state in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Republican Donald P. Wagner.

Weber has held the office since Jan. 29, 2021. She is California's first Black secretary of state and only the fifth African American to serve as a state constitutional officer in the state's 175-year history, according to the California Secretary of State's office.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: California Secretary of State
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in communication, University of California, Los Angeles (1970); master's degree in communication, UCLA (1972); doctorate in communication, UCLA (1975)
  • Background: Weber says she was born on a farm in Hope, Arkansas, where her father, David, was a sharecropper. Her family moved to California when she was three, settling in the Pueblo Del Rio housing projects in South Los Angeles.

Experience and public service

Weber first held public office as a trustee on the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education from 1988 to 1996, according to BallotReady. She represented District 79 in the California State Assembly from 2012 to 2021.

In the Assembly, Weber chaired the Budget Committee and the Elections and Redistricting Committee. She was the first African American to chair the Assembly Budget Committee, according to the secretary of state's office. She also chaired the California Legislative Black Caucus from 2018 to 2020.

Before entering politics, Weber says she helped found the Africana Studies Department at San Diego State University, where she taught for 40 years. She also held teaching positions at Los Angeles City College and California State University, Los Angeles. She served as president of the National Council for Black Studies from 2002 to 2006, according to the secretary of state's office.

On the issues

Weber's stated priorities, according to her campaign website, focus on election access, transparency and security:

Ballot access: Weber says she is working with local elections officials to expand access to the ballot and running outreach campaigns to register high school and college students.

Election transparency: Weber says she aims to improve transparency in elections, lobbyist registration and campaign finance systems so Californians can make informed decisions.

Cybersecurity: Weber says she is upgrading the office's cybersecurity policies to protect elections from interference.

Voter education for formerly incarcerated residents: Weber says she is revamping outreach for formerly incarcerated Californians after the passage of Proposition 17, which ensured Californians on parole have the right to vote.

Financial filings and enforcement: Weber says she is working to fix delayed financial filings and enforce rules equally.

Endorsements

The following organizations have endorsed Weber, according to BallotReady:

  • AFL-CIO
  • AFSCME
  • AFSCME Local 3299
  • Alameda County Democrats
  • Alice B Toklas Democratic Club
  • American Nurses Association of California
  • Bay Area Reporter Editorial Board
  • California - Orange County Democrats
  • California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
  • California Teachers' Association
  • California Women's List
  • California Young Democrats
  • Communication Workers of America
  • Community Action Fund of Planned Parenthood Orange San Bernardino Counties
  • Contra Costa County Democrats
  • Fresno County Democrats
  • Fresno Stonewall Democrats
  • Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
  • Heart of LA Democratic Club
  • Jane Fonda Climate PAC
  • Los Angeles County Democrats
  • Los Angeles Stonewall Democrats
  • National Women's Political Caucus of California
  • North State Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
  • Pacific Palisades Democratic Club
  • Planned Parenthood of Orange, San Bernadino
  • Planned Parenthood of San Diego, Riverside, Imperial
  • Riverside County Democrats
  • Sacramento County Democrats
  • San Diego Building & Construction Trades Council
  • San Diego County Democratic Party
  • San Diego Democrats for Equality
  • San Francisco Bay Times Editorial Board
  • San Francisco Women's Political Committee
  • Santa Clara County Democrats
  • South Bay Labor Council
  • State Building and Construction Trades Council of California
  • The United Democratic Club

Candidate policy responses are drawn from Weber's campaign website and BallotReady questionnaire data. Profile facts are sourced from the California Secretary of State's office and BallotReady.