Democrat-turned-Republican Gloria Romero announces run for lieutenant governor

Gloria Romero, a former Democrat and state Senate Majority Chief, introduced Monday she is operating for lieutenant governor as a part of a ticket with GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, a former Fox Information commentator.

“On the finish of the day, it’s actually about one-party rule in Sacramento. I’ve seen it. I left it,” Romero mentioned in an interview. “We’ve bought to make a change, in any other case we are going to by no means flip round on accountability or affordability and battle for working households just like the Democrats as soon as mentioned the occasion stood for. These days are gone. It’s a brand new day, and I’m proud to work alongside Steve on this thrilling race to make California Golden once more.”

Hilton, who has a long-standing political relationship with Romero, mentioned her experience within the state Capitol is among the many causes he chosen her. Romero served within the state Senate and Meeting for about 12 years, together with three because the state Senate’s first feminine majority chief.

“She’s been extremely useful already, serving to me perceive how Sacramento works and doesn’t work,” Hilton mentioned. “After I’m the governor I must work with the legislature. And one of the necessary issues that I see as an actual profit from having Gloria there with me is that she’s not simply been within the legislature, she’s led one of many chambers. She actually understands the way it works and nonetheless has relationships.”

Different candidates operating for lieutenant governor embrace Treasurer Fiona Ma, former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs and Josh Fryday, a member of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s cupboard, all Democrats, and state Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee).

Romero was a lifelong Democrat, together with co-chairing President Obama’s 2012 reelection marketing campaign in California. However she started to interrupt together with her occasion over schooling reform, notably her help for varsity alternative.

“Training is the important thing to the American dream, and but my occasion was so beholden to the lecturers union, the alphabet soup of energy influencers in Sacramento,” she mentioned.

Invoking the phrases of the late President Reagan, Romero mentioned she didn’t depart the Democratic occasion, the occasion left her. She turned a registered Republican in September 2024 after what she calls a “political coup” to oust President Biden because the Democratic nominee. She then endorsed President Trump and spoke at a rally supporting him close to Coachella.

She mentioned the lieutenant governor’s function is often a sleepy perch for politicians as they bide their time to run for greater workplace.

“It shouldn’t be that approach,” Romero mentioned, including that the lieutenant governor’s function on the boards that oversee the UCs, Cal States and neighborhood faculty is a very good match for her wheelhouse. “Training and turning round schooling, it’s in my blood, it’s in my goals. It’s my ardour.”

In contrast to presidential elections, statewide contests don’t function operating mates; every candidate should be elected on their very own deserves.

Hilton mentioned Romero was the primary member of his “golden ticket for California” and that he deliberate to roll out different statewide candidates who will be part of their effort.

“I do know it hasn’t been completed earlier than. It’s not how issues are usually completed,” he mentioned. “However proper from the start, once I was eager about my race for governor, one of many issues that I actually needed to do was to place collectively a robust staff, as a result of turning round California goes to take a robust staff.”