Californians shrug as Kounalakis drops bid for governor

The Editorial Board, The Orange County Register on Aug 12, 2025

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By all measures, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is smart and personable, and a competent lieutenant governor. However, there’s not much involved in that post other than serving on some state boards and being ready if the real governor becomes incapacitated. Kounalakis first won the job in 2018 with the help of a $9-million contribution from her developer father and won re-election in 2022.

We doubt many California voters have heard much about her even though she had thrown her hat in the ring for the 2026 governor’s race. But before that campaign really got going—and it’s starting to heat up now that former Vice President Kamala Harris declined to run—Kounalakis announced that she would instead run for treasurer.

That was a smart move. Recent polling showed her far back in a crowded field, with a meager 2.4% support. She was only slightly ahead of Stephen Cloobeck, the little-known first-time candidate and Los Angeles businessman who has been running anti-Trump ads on TV.

Kounalakis only has herself to blame. She ran for lieutenant governor on a rather generic liberal platform—building more housing, protecting the coast, increasing transparency, breaking the glass ceiling. She hasn’t become clearly identified with any policy agenda or accomplishments.

Gov. Gavin Newsom often complained about the pointless nature of the lieutenant governor’s job and even was criticized for not always fulfilling its few responsibilities. But he used his time wisely, as he was then elected as the real governor.

The main coverage of Kounalakis’ tenure involved a potential conflict of interest involving her real-estate holdings in downtown Sacramento—not a big deal given she vowed to put them in a blind trust if elected, but not the attention that’s endearing to voters.

Like Harris, she deserves kudos for getting out early winnowing the field to candidates who are in it for the long run. It’s a weak field, so the earlier that the race gets going the better. As we’ve noted before, California faces serious challenges and desperately needs candidates with innovative ideas to address them.