Former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon Launches Run For State Superintendent

Former California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D) announced on Monday that he will be entering the 2026 race for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, becoming the latest former lawmaker to join in the crowded contest.

“I’ve stood up to the MAGA agenda before and I’ll do it again,” said Rendon in his candidacy announcement on Monday. “As Speaker, I helped lead the fight to defend Californians from Trump’s first-term attacks. As Superintendent, I’ll be a firewall between our schools and whatever chaos comes out of Washington. In the same way that I helped lead the state’s efforts against Trump in 2016, I want to make sure I’m in those trenches and doing it again.

“After my time in the Assembly, having the opportunity to serve California’s students, educators, and families feels like a return to my roots. Over the course of this campaign, I’ll be making the case for why my experience, proven leadership, and unshakeable belief in the life changing power of education make me the best person to lead California’s schools into the future.”

He also added that he wants to address youth mental health, rebuilding the early childhood education system and halting federal cuts to state school programs.

Rendon enters the race with both previous education and electoral experience. A graduate of both CSU Fullerton and UC Riverside, Rendon began his career as an executive director at several child development and education groups in Los Angeles. For a time he was also head of the California League of Conservation Voters lobbying group. However, it was his stint as a Political Science Professor at CSU Fullerton from 2001 to 2008 that helped launch his political career.

In 2012, Rendon was elected to the Assembly, easily winning a Democratic-majority Los Angeles district. He quickly established himself as one of top Democrats, earning public notoriety for being the force behind a bill that banned lead hunting ammunition in 2013. This led to his election in the Assembly as their next Speaker, taking over from then Assemblywoman Toni Atkins in 2016. Rendon remained Speaker for the next seven years, becoming the second longest serving Speaker in Assembly history. While he was known for not bringing forward any bills forward himself and focusing on leading the Assembly, his reputation was tarnished following allegations that his wife received an unusually high salary and non-profit groups she was with receiving a high number of donations from companies that had business with the legislature.

However, it was his failure to support many water issues, his stances on many issues close to Democrats, and his push to stop the GOP from halting the state’s gas tax that brought out his ultimate downfall. Assemblyman Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) gathered support from many Democratic caucuses as well as some Republicans to oust Rendon as Speaker, and by end of June 2023, Rendon was out as Speaker. By November 2024, he was also out of the Assembly thanks to term limits, and faced divorce at around the same time. This year he has been slowly building a bid for Superintendent, planning a political comeback by having fundraisers and meetings with education leaders. This came to fruition on Monday with his announcement.

Rendon in the running

Rendon now joins a very crowded 2026 Superintendent race. Along with Rendon, hopeful Democrats include former Senator Josh Newman, former Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, Los Angeles Community College Trustees Nichelle Henderson and Andra Hoffman, and San Diego Unified School District Board Member Richard Barrera. Meanwhile, San Bernardino County-based Chino Valley Unified School District Sonja Shaw has united the GOP behind her as the only major Republican in the race.

Other candidates may still enter as well. Assemblywoman Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) is currently mulling a run, with former Senators Anthony Portantino (D), Jean Fuller (R), and Connie Leyva (D) all previously filing paperwork for such a run. While Rendon is in a crowded field, he has hit the ground running with a campaign staff firmly in place and nearly $900,000 in funds to start off with.

For Rendon and other candidates, the hot button issue of trans athletes already lingers over the race. The state is currently in the middle of a state and federal battle over whether trans athletes should compete in female sports. While many Democrat lawmakers have held firm allowing trans athletes to compete in female sports, Republicans and a growing number of Democrats continue to push for biological and fairness lines. Rendon’s stance may prove difficult for many potential supporters to follow.

“Rather than using them as pawns in an ideological game,” said Rendon earlier this year. “We need to respect them, and we need to be supportive of them, so I’m supportive of trans students competing in sports in the genders in which they identify.”

The victor in November 2026 will replace outgoing Superintendent Tony Thurmond, who is currently running for Governor.