California Secretary of State Primary Results 2026

Incumbent Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Republican challenger Don Wagner both advanced from Tuesday's June 2 primary under California's top-two system, setting up a November general election contest that will determine who oversees voting in the nation's largest state — and who will be responsible for certifying California's 54 electoral votes in the 2028 presidential election.

What the Primary Results Show

With approximately 70% of the expected vote counted as of Tuesday evening, both Weber and Wagner had secured enough support to advance to November's general election — the expected outcome in a race that featured only three candidates. A third candidate, independent Gary Blenner, received a smaller share of the vote and did not advance.

California's top-two primary system, in place since 2012, sends the two candidates with the most votes to the general election regardless of party affiliation. In a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2 to 1 among registered voters, a Democratic incumbent facing a single Republican challenger faces no structural threat in the primary. The real contest begins in November.

Who Is Shirley Weber?

Shirley Weber, 77, has served as California Secretary of State since January 2021, when Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her to fill the seat vacated when Alex Padilla was appointed to the U.S. Senate. She made history as the first Black person to hold the office — a distinction she cemented when she won a full four-year term in the 2022 general election with 60.1% of the vote.

Before entering statewide office, Weber served nine years in the California State Assembly, where she authored AB 392, landmark legislation that changed the legal standard for when police officers can use deadly force — from "reasonable fear" to "necessary" force. The law was considered one of the most significant police reform measures passed by any state legislature in recent years.

As Secretary of State, Weber has presided over some of the most turbulent elections in California's modern history. She administered the 2021 recall election against Governor Newsom, oversaw California's permanent transition to universal mail-in voting, and took local governments to court over voting laws she argued violated state election code. She has also fielded years of Republican claims about election fraud in California — claims she has consistently rejected.

Heading into her reelection campaign, Weber is running on a platform of expanding voting access, improving transparency in campaign finance disclosures, and strengthening cybersecurity protections for election infrastructure. She has also pledged to modernize the state's business filing systems, which fall under the Secretary of State's jurisdiction alongside elections.

Who Is Don Wagner?

Don Wagner is an Orange County Supervisor, former Mayor of Irvine, and former California State Assemblymember who served in the Assembly from 2010 to 2016. He represents a brand of California Republicanism that is increasingly rare in statewide politics — a party that has not won a California statewide race since 2006, a nearly two-decade drought that has left Republicans without a foothold in Sacramento's executive offices.

Wagner has framed his candidacy around election integrity — the same issue that has animated Republican candidates for secretary of state races across the country since 2020. He has criticized Weber for California's ballot-counting timeline, which under state law allows county election officials up to 30 days after election day to count mail-in ballots and conduct required audits. Critics say the slow certification process — which means projected winners of state legislative races are often sworn in before results are officially certified — undermines public confidence in elections.

Wagner has also said that if elected, he would push for voter ID requirements in California, acknowledging that implementing such a requirement would need legislative approval. A Republican-backed voter ID ballot initiative qualified for the November ballot on the same day the primary was held — a development that could energize Wagner's base while potentially driving higher Democratic turnout in defense of California's existing voting laws.

In a candid moment in an interview with CalMatters, Wagner acknowledged the long odds he faces. "I am not one of those Republicans who is going to be out there telling you that unless a Republican wins, the election got stolen," he said. "What I am saying is I believe folks on either side of the political aisle and in the middle question the integrity." He added that even if he lost in November, running a credible campaign would give him a "bully pulpit" to pressure the Democratic-controlled legislature on election policy.

The Real Argument: Speed vs. Accuracy

Beneath the partisan framing, the Weber-Wagner race is really a debate about what voters should expect from election administration — and it touches a fault line that runs through election offices across the country.

Weber has been unapologetic about California's ballot-counting pace. "I know the value of being fast for some folks," she told CalMatters. "For me, accuracy is far more important." She has attributed pressure over slow counting to what she described as a Trump administration effort to discredit California's election results — and pointed out that in most races, the practical outcome is clear long before formal certification occurs.

Wagner counters that the gap between projected results and certified results — sometimes a month or more — creates a vacuum that conspiracy theories fill. He argues that California could count ballots faster without sacrificing accuracy, and that Weber has simply not pushed the state legislature hard enough to change the statutory timelines that govern the process.

It is a genuine policy disagreement with real stakes. California certified its 2024 presidential results weeks after most states, and in a close 2028 presidential election, the pace at which California's 54 electoral votes are formally confirmed could become politically significant.

Why This Race Matters for 2028

The California Secretary of State is not just an administrative functionary. The officeholder certifies election results, oversees the accuracy of the voter rolls, and in a presidential election year, officially certifies California's electoral votes — the largest single bloc in the entire Electoral College at 54.

In a 2028 presidential race that many forecasters expect to be decided by a narrow margin, California's certification process could move from a procedural formality to a contested flashpoint. Whoever wins the November general election will be the person who signs off on California's electoral votes on behalf of the nation's most populous state.

For Weber, that prospect underscores why she argues accuracy cannot be sacrificed for speed. For Wagner, it is exactly why he believes California needs a Secretary of State willing to pressure Sacramento for faster, more transparent processes — even if, realistically, no Republican is likely to win that argument in California's general election.

What Happens Next

Both candidates now turn their attention to the November 3, 2026 general election. Weber enters the fall contest with every structural advantage: incumbency, a massive Democratic registration edge, overwhelming fundraising superiority, and the backing of California's entire Democratic establishment including Governor Newsom.

Wagner's path to victory would require a historic collapse of Democratic turnout, a wave of independent voters breaking sharply Republican, and a political environment so hostile to Democrats nationally that it overrides California's fundamental partisan math. No Republican has threaded that needle in California statewide politics since Arnold Schwarzenegger's last victory in 2006. 

Still, Wagner's campaign serves a purpose beyond electoral victory. By forcing a statewide debate about election administration, voter ID, and ballot-counting timelines in the run-up to 2028, he has helped ensure that California's election infrastructure — and the woman who runs it — will face sustained public scrutiny between now and the most consequential presidential election in a generation. 

For the latest 2026 midterm results and their implications for the 2028 presidential race, follow TalkBea News and explore our 2028 Electoral Map.