Former Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, the first millennial elected to the California Assembly and the youngest Assembly majority leader in state history, is running for governor, joining a long list of candidates hoping to become the state’s next top executive.
The 39-year-old, who represented Whittier and other Southern California communities while in the legislature, is the latest example of a younger Democrat seeking elected office during a time of intra-party debate over whether longtime politicians – many of whom represent an older era – should make way for a new generation of leaders.
“My generation pays bills on our phones. We send money to each other with Venmo and we save in Bitcoin. But the people running our government? They’re trying to use yesterday’s ideas to solve today’s problems, and it isn’t working,” Calderon said in a campaign video announcing his candidacy.
California should be the best place in the world to raise a family, purchase a home and build a future, he further added in the video.
“But to get there,” he said, “we need a new generation of leadership – one that listens, adapts, gets results.”
Calderon described himself as a Democrat who doesn’t always agree with his party and one who believes in “commonsense solutions, not the political extremes holding California back.”
The former legislator joins an already crowded field of candidates seeking to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can’t seek reelection next year due to term limits.
More than 85 people have declared their candidacy or submitted paperwork with the secretary of state, signaling a potential run – though some have also since announced they no longer plan to seek the governorship.
Among the better known Democrats running are former state Senate Pro Tem President Toni Atkins, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, entrepreneur Stephen Cloobeck, former Rep. Katie Porter, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state Controller Betty Yee.
On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and podcaster and former Fox News host Steve Hilton are running.
There are also speculations that billionaire developer and former L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso or U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla may toss their names in the ring.
In his video, Calderon pitched himself as someone in touch with the struggles of everyday Californians. After eight years in the Assembly and at the height of his political career in 2020, Calderon said, he stepped away to focus on his family.
“For the last five years, I’ve been raising my kids, building a business, and living in the real world, watching everyday life in our state get harder for families like mine,” he said, citing issues like “out of control” child care expenses, highest-in-the-nation gas prices and circumstances that make buying a home out of reach for many.
Calderon is the founder and CEO of Majority Advisors, a firm involved in legislative advocacy and lobbying, political campaigns and public affairs.
The former legislator said he’s running for governor to help more families get into homes, including stopping investors from outbidding first-time homebuyers and ending an influx of new laws that drive up the cost of homebuilding. Calderon said on his campaign website that he would put working families and small businesses ahead of “political extremes” and special interests.
Calderon comes from a family with deep ties in state politics. His father, Charles Calderon, and two uncles, Ron and Tom Calderon, also served in the legislature.
His stepmother, Lisa Calderon, currently serves in the Assembly. She holds the seat that the Ian Calderon gave up when he chose not to seek reelection in 2020.
The primary election for governor will take place June 2, 2026. The top two vote-getters in the primary will face off in the following November general election.
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