Superintendent of Public Instruction in Statewide, California

2026 Primary Election

• Nichelle Henderson — Member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees in Inglewood, California

  Nichelle Henderson is a college faculty member, union organizer, and a member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees, where she was elected president for 2024. She has a background as a middle school classroom teacher and currently works at California State University, Los Angeles as a Faculty Advisor and Clinical Field Supervisor for the Cal State TEACH teacher preparation program. Her career in education began as a paraprofessional in her child's preschool, which inspired her to change her major from electrical engineering to liberal studies at Cal State Los Angeles. She later earned a master's degree in education from Chapman University. Henderson is an alumna of the Emerge CA political training program, the Los Angeles African American Women's Public Policy Institute, and the LA County Federation of Labor's Civic Leadership Academy. If elected, she would be the first Black woman to serve as California's Superintendent of Public Instruction.

• Anthony Rendon — Former Speaker of the California State Assembly in Lakewood, California

  Anthony Rendon served as the 70th Speaker of the California State Assembly from March 2016 to June 2023, representing the 62nd Assembly District. Prior to his career in the Assembly, he was an educator and nonprofit executive director, focusing on early childhood education. He was the executive director of Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services, which serves over 2,300 children and families in Los Angeles County. Rendon earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from California State University, Fullerton, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Riverside. He also completed post-doctoral work at Boston University.

• Frank Lara — Executive Vice President of United Educators of San Francisco in San Francisco, California

  Frank Lara is an educator with over ten years of classroom teaching experience, a union leader, and a father. Born to immigrant parents in Calexico, California, he earned a degree from California Polytechnic State University in 2008 and a teaching credential with bilingual authorization from San Francisco State University. He has worked as a K-12 classroom teacher, primarily as a bilingual educator in San Francisco's Mission District. Since 2021, Lara has served as the Executive Vice President of the United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), a union representing over 6,000 school workers. He also serves on the California Teachers Association (CTA) Financing Public Education Committee. Lara is an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation and a member of the Peace and Freedom Party of California.

• Al Muratsuchi — California State Assemblymember in Torrance, California

  Albert "Al" Yasuro Muratsuchi is a Japanese-American attorney and a Democratic member of the California State Assembly, representing the 66th district which covers parts of the South Bay in Los Angeles. Before his service in the Assembly, he was a deputy California Attorney General, a trustee for the Torrance Unified School District, and a trustee for the Southern California Regional Occupation Center. He earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Juris Doctor degree from UCLA School of Law. Muratsuchi currently serves as the Chair of the Assembly Education Committee. He is also an adjunct professor at El Camino Community College, where he teaches government.

• Richard Barrera — President, San Diego Unified School District Board of Education in San Diego, CA

  Richard Barrera has served on the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education since 2008 and has held the position of Board President. A San Diego native, Barrera earned a bachelor's degree in history from UC San Diego and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University. Prior to his school board service, he spent years working as a community organizer for healthcare workers, nurses, and domestic workers. He is running for California Superintendent of Public Instruction.

• Wendy Castaneda Leal — Superintendent and Principal, Semitropic Elementary School District in Wasco, CA

  Wendy Castaneda Leal is a candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2026 election. She currently serves as the Superintendent and Principal of the Semitropic Elementary School District in Kern County. In her campaign, Leal emphasizes advancing educational equity, strengthening academic achievement, and supporting the whole child. She is committed to improving low-income schools and ensuring high-quality education and language support for all students.

• Ainye Long — Mathematics Teacher and Department Chair in Oakland, CA

  Ainye Long is an 8th-grade mathematics teacher and Department Chair at Willie L. Brown Middle School in the San Francisco Unified School District. A fifth-generation public school teacher, Long earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. With nearly two decades of educational experience, she has previously worked as a regional superintendent for a nonprofit charter school system and as a director for the California Charter Schools Association.

• Gus Mattammal — Director of Advantage Testing of Silicon Valley in Half Moon Bay, CA

  Gus Mattammal is an educator, business executive, and the Director of Advantage Testing of Silicon Valley. He holds a bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from Pomona College and a master's degree from the Yale School of Management. Mattammal is an elected member of the Midcoast Community Council, serving the area between Half Moon Bay and Pacifica. He is also the President of SHIFT-Bay Area, a nonpartisan policy advocacy group. He is a candidate for California Superintendent of Public Instruction.

• Josh Newman — Senior Fellow at UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology in Fullerton, CA

  Josh Newman is an educator, U.S. Army veteran, and former Democratic State Senator running for California Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2026. Newman represented California's 29th Senate District from 2016 to 2018 and 2020 to 2024, where he served as chair of the Senate Education Committee. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Yale University. Currently residing in Fullerton, Newman serves as a senior fellow at UC Irvine's School of Social Ecology.

• Sonja Shaw — President, Chino Valley Unified School Board in Chino, CA

  Sonja Shaw serves as President of the Chino Valley Unified School Board, having been elected in 2022. She gained national attention for championing conservative education policies, including mandatory parent notification regarding transgender students and advocating to keep transgender athletes out of girls' sports. A Chino native and mother of two, Shaw's campaign for California Superintendent of Public Instruction focuses on a return to academic basics, parental rights, and reducing bureaucracy.