The June Primary is Underway. Pledge to Vote for CFA-Endorsed Candidates Today!

2026 is a turning point for California and our nation. With term limits reshaping the legislature and key statewide offices up for grabs, the decisions made in the 2026 Primary Election will define political conditions for faculty, students, and our communities for the next decade. 

Anti-worker and billionaire interests are escalating their efforts to take control of our political system. From statewide races to local elections, they are pouring in resources to privatize public institutions, automate jobs, and consolidate wealth at the direct expense of the communities we serve. Workers must fight back by defending public resources, closing corporate loopholes, and demanding that the wealth we create is reinvested in our communities. 

We need CFA members to Vote Union. Pledge to vote for CFA-endorsed candidates today. 

Endorsed Candidates for Governor: Xavier Becerra and Tony Thurmond 

Xavier Becerra 

Born to working class parents in Sacramento, Xavier Becerra has been a committed public servant for decades. Throughout his career in the state Assembly, Congress, the Attorney General’s office, and as President Biden’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Becerra has focused on doing what is right and building lasting change for Californians. 

As governor, he would support a return to tuition-free public higher education, shift from enforcement heavy models of policing to one that is more focused on prevention and community-based responses, and support the funding necessary to implement Ethnic Studies as required coursework for California students.  

Tony Thurmond 

Tony Thurmond has a consistent, proven record as a champion for unions and working families. From his time as Chair of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee to his current role as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, he has authored and passed landmark legislation to protect and uplift working families.  

As State Superintendent of Public Instruction, he supported bonds and local funding 

measures to modernize schools, created union construction jobs in communities across California, and supported educators and education workers in efforts to organize to increase wages and benefits. He has been a strong voice for faculty at the CSU Board of Trustees as an ex officio member, in his role as State Superintendent.  

Endorsed Candidate for Lieutenant Governor: Michael Tubbs 

As its youngest mayor, Michael Tubbs led Stockton while it was recovering from bankruptcy and a foreclosure crisis to achieve record-low unemployment and an economic resurgence. Michael Tubbs is running for Lieutenant Governor to bring bold change to Sacramento and make California a government that fights for those the system has left behind. 

As Lieutenant Governor, Michael would be our champion on the CSU Board of Trustees. He is committed to voting against raising tuition at the CSU, wants to link CalFresh enrollment with the student financial aid system to ensure students don’t go hungry, and supports CFA legislation that would make increase accessibility to the members of the Board of Trustees.  

Important Voting Information 

If voting by mail, remember that ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received no later than 7 days after Election Day. To ensure your ballot is postmarked by Election Day, mail it at least five days before Election Day, June 2, 2026. If mailing on Election Day, get a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office. One can also vote in person or by drop box. 

Please see our voter guide with the full list of endorsements here.