Eleni Kounalakis running for California governor in 2026 — she could succeed Gavin Newsom

California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis on Monday became the first candidate to enter the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom as the state’s leader in 2026.

Kounalakis, who was first elected lieutenant governor in 2018, kicked off her gubernatorial campaign to become the first woman to lead the state.

The move, announced more than three and a half years before the election, allows Kounalakis to get an early jump on the rest of the field.

“My family & I owe everything to our state,” Kounalakis wrote in a Twitter post. “I will fight fiercely to make sure every Californian has the chance to walk the path of the CA dream just like I have.”

She told Politico she planned to campaign on addressing statewide problems including homelessness, fentanyl deaths and California’s high cost of living.

“The challenges that California has require leaders who are decisive, who have experience and who have a track record of getting things done,” Kounalakis said.

If elected, Kounalakis, who was first elected lieutenant governor in 2018, would become the state’s first female governor. She’s the first major female candidate to run for the office since Republican Meg Whitman, who led eBay and Hewlett Packard, faced off in 2010 against former Gov. Jerry Brown, who won a third term.

Panorea Avdis, former chief of staff to Kounalakis, called her a “go-getter” and someone who would be “well positioned to hit the ground running.”

“She’s going to do the work,” Avdis said. “And it’s definitely time we have a woman in this office.”

Kounalakis’ career, Sacramento roots

Voters re-elected Kounalakis for a second term as lieutenant governor last November.

Prior to running for office in California, Kounalakis served as ambassador to Hungary from 2010 to 2013 under former President Barack Obama. Former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014 appointed her to serve as chair of the California Advisory Council for International Trade and Investment.

Kounalakis comes from a well-known Sacramento family. Her father, Angelo Tsakopoulos, is a Greek immigrant and real estate developer. She served as president of AKT Development, her family’s business, before running for public office.

Tsakopoulos has donated millions of dollars to Democratic and Greek American candidates, including his daughter. During her 2018 lieutenant governor race, Kounalakis and Tsakopoulos together contributed at least $9 million to her campaign.

Kounalakis came under fire during her 2022 campaign for lieutenant governor when an independent expenditure committee supporting her received a large check from a pharmaceutical group, despite her vowing not to accept money from the industry. Her campaign spokesperson at that time said she denounced the contribution, saying it was not reflective of her or her values.

Political aspirations

Although California’s lieutenant governor position is seen as a largely ceremonial role, it served as a stepping stone for higher office for both Newsom and former Gov. Gray Davis.

As lieutenant governor, Kounalakis has served on the boards of the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges systems as well as the State Lands Commission. In April 2022, she became the first woman in California to sign a bill into law when she was acting as governor while Newsom was on spring break with his family.

Kounalakis was a vocal proponent of last year’s Proposition 1 — a statewide measure overwhelmingly approved by California voters to enshrine the right to abortion in California’s constitution.

Kounalakis’ decision to start campaigning years in advance is not entirely uncommon for California gubernatorial candidates, especially given her lack of name recognition across the state. Newsom announced his own campaign for governor in 2015, long before the 2018 race.

“I think she’s in a position where she knows what she wants,” said Andrew Acosta, a Sacramento-based Democratic political consultant. “So why be coy about it, if you can put a marker down and pressure the rest of the field to make a decision?”

Kounalakis has more than $4.4 million in her lieutenant governor campaign account, according to the California Secretary of State’s Office. She told Politico she would be moving those funds to use them for her gubernatorial campaign.