Former state Controller Betty Yee drops out of the governor’s race
Former state comptroller Betty Yee dropped out of the 2026 governor’s race on Monday, citing low levels of support from voters and donors.
Yee, a Democrat, was part of a broad group of politicians vying to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom. But despite a host of leading candidates vying to lead the nation’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy, this year’s race for governor has long been missing a leader well-known to voters.
“The idea that voters are looking for experience and credentials is not a top priority, and that’s what’s really important to me about how we ground this campaign in my experiences,” he said at a virtual news conference Monday morning. “Donors felt the chill of the vote… and it got to the point where I wasn’t going to have enough resources to get us across the finish line.”
The former two-term state controller did not immediately endorse another candidate and said it would take a few days to evaluate the field before making an announcement.
The race was turned upside down earlier this month when then-Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democrat in the race, has been accused of sexual assault and other misconduct. The East Bay Democrat, who is facing multiple criminal investigations, immediately ended his term as governor and resigned from Congress.
Yee, 68, was widely respected by Democrats during his tenure in Sacramento. And he emphasized his non-dramatic personality on Thursday.
“California – has it been through enough chaos, fear and terrible political scandals? Calm, cool, ready for mass change? Some might find that boring. But that’s the point. We need boring Betty,” Yee wrote on social media site X. “No crisis. No circus. Just competent, drama-free leadership you can trust. #BoringisBetter”
But it has never had the financial resources to compete aggressively in a state with many of the most expensive media markets in the country.
Yee reported raising about $583,000 for his 2025 gubernatorial bid, according to campaign fundraising reports filed with the California secretary of state. Yee’s announcement that he would withdraw from the race came days before the latest financial disclosures were made public.
Despite being elected twice to the State Board of Equalization and twice as state comptroller, Yee was little known to most Californians. He never reached double digits in the gubernatorial polls.
His name will still be on the ballot. He was among the candidates who turned down a request from state Democratic Party leaders to reconsider their viability earlier this year over fears that the party could be shut out of the November general election because of the state’s unique primary election system. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the June primaries will advance to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Although the majority of California voters are Democratic, the makeup of the gubernatorial field makes it statistically possible for Republicans to win the top two spots if Democratic voters are split among their own party’s candidates. Yee said he fears this scenario is “kind of taking over” the governor’s race.
“Was it possible? Yes. Did it make sense? No, we’re in California. This wasn’t going to happen,” he said, adding that the first two primary systems should be abolished.
Still, Yee was beloved by Democratic Party activists and had previously served as the party’s vice chairman.
No Democratic candidate reached the threshold required to win the party’s official support at the convention in February, but Yee finished second with the support of 17% of delegates despite calls for him to drop out of the race.
“Every poll shows that this race is open, and I know this party,” he said in an interview at the convention. “Frankly, I’ve been in positions where it’s a crowded field, we work hard and candidates show up.”
The gubernatorial primary election will be held on June 2, but voters will begin receiving ballots by mail in about two weeks.
