Gloria Romero

Candidate for Lieutenant Governor

Gloria J. Romero was born July 10, 1955, in Barstow, California. She is a retired psychology professor. She was once a top Democratic leader in the Legislature. Now she is the Republican pick for lieutenant governor. The vote is set for November 3, 2026. She was one of six kids. Her father worked in a railroad yard. Her mother stayed home. She earned an associate degree from Barstow Community College. She earned a B.A. and an M.A. from Cal State Long Beach. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology from UC Riverside. She taught psychology at Cal State LA. She is professor emeritus there now. Before the Legislature, she was a trustee at the Los Angeles Community College District. She also served as its board vice president. She was elected to the state Assembly in 1998. She served as Majority Whip there. She won a state Senate seat in 2001. She represented the 24th District: East LA and much of the San Gabriel Valley. She served there from March 2001 until she was termed out. That was in November 2010. From 2005 to 2008 she was Senate Majority Leader. She was the first woman to hold that post. In 2010 she wrote a school-reform law. It is known as the 'parent trigger' law, or Parent Empowerment. That year she also ran for state schools chief. She lost, finishing third. After leaving office she led a state chapter of Democrats for Education Reform. She stayed a leading voice for school choice. That work put her more and more at odds with her old party. She switched and registered as a Republican in 2024. On January 12, 2026 she announced her run for lieutenant governor. She is running on an informal ticket with governor hopeful Steve Hilton, also a Republican. In April 2026 the state GOP endorsed her at its convention. In the June 2, 2026 primary she placed second. She won 1,521,181 votes (17.8%). She now faces Democrat Fiona Ma in November. Ma is the sitting state treasurer. She won 1,631,935 votes (19.1%) in the primary. Born July 10, 1955. Home: not confirmed. Job: Retired psychology professor. She is professor emeritus at Cal State LA. She is also an education-reform advocate. Prior office: State Assembly, 1998-2001. She was Assembly Majority Whip. State Senate, 24th District, March 2001 to November 2010. She was Senate Majority Leader, 2005-2008. Earlier, she was a Los Angeles Community College District trustee and board vice president; exact years are not confirmed. She is not an incumbent in this contest.

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