Comments
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - Former Democratic State Senator and educator Gloria Romero, who switched parties and endorsed President Donald Trump for reelection in 2024 is back on the ballot as a candidate for lieutenant governor as a Republican.
Here is the interview with this former legislator seeking the second spot as California's LG:
A Republican has not won statewide office in California since 2006. Why do you think you have a realistic chance of victory?
Because 2026 isn’t a normal year – and I’m not a normal candidate. Californians are living the consequences of one-party rule: affordability is crushed, homelessness is worse, basic competence is missing, and billions have been spent without accountability. I’m running as a reformer with a record, not a partisan with slogans. I served as Senate Majority Leader and chaired Education—then I left when the Democratic Party abandoned working families, parental rights, and common sense. This race will be won by building an unusual coalition of parents, taxpayers, working families, independents, and voters who are simply tired of being gaslit.
How do you define the role of California’s Lieutenant Governor, beyond presiding over the Senate and serving on boards?
The Lieutenant Governor should be California’s chief accountability officer—a watchdog for taxpayers and a megaphone for people not being heard in Sacramento. It’s a role with real leverage: shining light on waste, forcing answers, convening experts, and using board seats to demand results.
What specific initiatives would you lead independently of the Governor?
First, an accountability agenda focused on waste, fraud, abuse, and outcomes—especially where billions have been spent with little transparency. Second, a parents-first education outcomes initiative focused on literacy, math proficiency, attendance, safety, and transparent reporting. Third, an affordability and permitting strike team to identify regulatory bottlenecks driving up housing, energy, and consumer costs.
If you disagreed with the Governor on a major issue, how would you handle it publicly and privately?
Privately: direct, professional, and fact-based. Publicly: clear, respectful, and focused on results—not personalities. I won’t be a rubber stamp, but I also won’t govern through theatrics.
Are you prepared to serve as Governor on short notice? What experience best prepares you for that responsibility?
Yes. I’ve served at the highest levels of California government, managing budgets, negotiations, and major policy fights as Senate Majority Leader and Education Chair.
That experience prepares you to make decisions under pressure and lead responsibly.
California has the highest cost of living in the nation. What levers does the Lieutenant Governor realistically have to address this?
Two: platform power and governing power. Platform power means focusing attention on the real drivers of cost—housing, energy, taxes, and regulation—and forcing accountability. Governing power means using board seats and convening authority to push policies that expand supply and reduce barriers.
How should California balance worker protections with keeping businesses from leaving the state?
By recognizing that pro-worker policies require pro-job reality. We must protect wages and safety while eliminating bureaucratic and litigation excesses that make it impossible to hire or expand.
As a member of the UC Board of Regents and CSU Board of Trustees, what would be your top priorities for higher education?
Affordability and on-time graduation. Workforce-aligned career pathways. Free speech and viewpoint diversity. Clear accountability for outcomes, including graduation rates, employment results, and administrative growth.
What has worked — and what hasn’t — in addressing homelessness, and what would you do differently?
What hasn’t worked is massive spending without accountability. What has worked is addressing addiction and mental illness directly, expanding treatment capacity, and restoring public order. I would tie funding to outcomes, require transparent reporting, and coordinate state and local efforts to stop paying multiple systems to fail.
Do you support changes to California’s top two primary systems? Why or why not?
Yes. The current system often shuts out competition and reinforces one-party dominance. California needs more debate, more accountability, and elections that reflect voter choice.
Why do you think California has become so politically lopsided, and is that healthy for the state?
It’s lopsided because dissent is punished and failure is rewarded. That isn’t healthy. Competition is how democracy corrects itself. I’m running to restore balance and make California functional again.
(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-three-year resident of Venice who is covering the race for Lieutenant Governor. Have a take or a tip? Contact him via e-mail at [email protected] )
