Tony Thurmond, a Democrat, is California’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, first elected in 2018 and re-elected since, with a current term running through January 2027; he is also a candidate for California Governor in the June 2026 primary. His mother, an immigrant teacher from Panama, died when he was six, and he was raised by a cousin after his father, a soldier, did not return from Vietnam. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University, where he was student body president, and master’s degrees in social work and law and social policy from Bryn Mawr College, going on to spend 12 years in direct education and social-service work, including foster-youth services and job training for at-risk youth. He served on the Richmond City Council before four years in the California State Assembly, ending in 2018.
As Superintendent, Thurmond has prioritized closing the academic achievement gap, student mental health, and equity in public schools. In 2021, he drew criticism for helping hire a personal friend, a Philadelphia-based psychologist, as the state’s first “Superintendent of Equity”; the official resigned amid the scrutiny. As he runs for governor in a crowded 2026 Democratic field, his record as Superintendent and comparatively weak early polling have drawn criticism from commentators, which Thurmond has publicly downplayed.
