The statewide primary for California’s superintendent of public instruction is closing with a field of experienced contenders but no obvious frontrunner. Ten candidates — including school board leaders and former legislative education chairs — are competing for a job that oversees more than 10,000 public K-12 schools and comes with a salary of $210,460.

Voters face an unusual election landscape: fundraising is modest, public awareness is low, and a governor-proposed reorganization could significantly reshape the role. At the same time, powerful outside actors have concentrated resources behind one candidate, injecting volatility into a race that has otherwise felt subdued.

Who’s running and where the money is

The roster includes veteran legislators and local education figures: Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (former Assembly education committee chair), former State Senator Josh Newman (former Senate education committee chair), ex-Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Community College District board member Nichelle Henderson, San Francisco Unified teacher Ainye Long, Chino Valley Unified Trustee Sonja Shaw, and San Diego Unified Trustee Richard Barrera.

Fundraising through the spring has been modest compared with past cycles. Public trackers show Barrera raised roughly $220,000, placing him behind several rivals who reported between about $284,000 and $330,000. Rendon and Muratsuchi entered the race with large transfers from previous campaigns; Rendon moved more than $1.1 million into his effort and Muratsuchi transferred over $350,000, giving them a sizable war chest.

Independent spending changes the dynamics

While candidate coffers are uneven, outside spending has dramatically altered the competitive map. The state’s largest teachers union — the California Teachers Association (CTA) — committed major independent expenditure resources to Barrera, with reports indicating nearly $5 million spent on his behalf from union-affiliated groups. Overall independent expenditures in the race topped about $5.6 million, with the CTA accounting for the vast majority of that support.

This burst of outside cash came late in the pre-primary period and may not be fully reflected in earlier public opinion snapshots, giving Barrera a visibility advantage he lacked when polls were conducted.

Policy battlegrounds: office authority and culture issues

A central tension in the campaign is a proposal from Governor Gavin Newsom to rework California’s education governance. Under the governor’s plan, much of the state superintendent’s operational authority would shift to the State Board of Education and a governor-appointed education commissioner, leaving the superintendent primarily as a policy advocate. Supporters argue this would reduce bureaucracy and increase transparency; opponents — including most candidates — say it would concentrate power in the governor’s office and reduce voters’ influence over state education decisions.

Another notable change in the policy fight is the fading of charter schools as a defining wedge issue. Once the clearest dividing line in statewide education politics, charter school debates have receded as enrollment growth slowed and traditional and charter districts now wrestle with shared problems such as declining enrollment, test score stagnation and adapting to artificial intelligence in classrooms.

Culture flashpoints

Cultural issues have nonetheless surfaced. Trustee Sonja Shaw has drawn attention by centering concerns about transgender student privacy and related policies. That focus has helped elevate her profile and placed social issues alongside governance and funding in voter calculations.

Polling, endorsements and what to watch

Polling from April showed a fractured electorate: no candidate had more than about 10% support in public surveys, and roughly 32% of likely voters were undecided. A Public Policy Institute of California poll placed Barrera at 7% and tied him with Shaw, while Rendon and Ainye Long registered about 9% each. Those numbers predate substantial independent expenditures and late campaign developments.

In an unusual cross-aisle moment, both the CTA and the California Charter Schools Association endorsed Barrera. The CTA called him a strong labor ally, while the charter association praised his record as a pragmatic district leader. Newspaper editorial boards in several regions also weighed in, boosting his name recognition. At the same time, some unions and observers have raised questions about his past associations and potential conflicts tied to labor relationships.

As the primary concludes, two candidates will move on to the November general election. Observers will be watching whether union spending translates into votes, how voters react to the governor’s governance proposal, and whether low turnout or voter attention — amid a high-profile gubernatorial contest — reshuffles expectations in the final months of the campaign.

Key takeaways

The primary is defined by a crowded field, concentrated outside spending for one contender, unresolved debates over the superintendent’s authority, and a shifting policy landscape that has downplayed historic charter-school divides. Voters will ultimately decide which two candidates advance to a fall contest that may look very different depending on how structural reforms and late campaign momentum unfold.