It\u2019s anybody\u2019s race for California governor, but here in San Diego, many of the top politicos in the state\u2019s second biggest city already have their candidate \u2014 former state Sen. Toni Atkins.<\/p>\n
Atkins held her first show of force in the race on Saturday since former Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 announcement to not join the race, with supporters packing into a new campaign headquarters in Mission Hills near the airport. Those in attendance were a who\u2019s-who of local politics, from Mayor Todd Gloria to Supervisor Paloma Aguirre and Sheriff Kelly Martinez.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we plant our roots even deeper here in San Diego, a place that made me who I am, I\u2019m thrilled to share what\u2019s next for this campaign,\u201d Atkins told the crowd of supporters. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a campaign headquarters, it\u2019s the heartbeat of a movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, two major shakeups have hit the already crowded contest for the state\u2019s top job.<\/p>\n
Last month, Harris declined to enter the race, removing a blockbuster contender whose massive name recognition was far stronger than any rivals.<\/p>\n
And just on Friday, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis withdrew from the race, thinning the field even more. Kounalakis has said she now plans to run for state treasurer.<\/p>\n
Those developments have set up a wide open field of Democrats jockeying for an edge in the lead-up to a primary next June.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe experience matters,\u201d Atkins said in an interview, noting her time as state Assembly speaker and president pro tempore of the state Senate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve represented this area for almost 30 years in one way or another,\u201d she said. \u201cThe relationships are deep, and so I intend to make this the base.\u201d<\/p>\n
An elected official for decades, Atkins has fortified support for her bid in the San Diego area and is now looking to expand it throughout California in the months ahead. To raise her profile and meet voters elsewhere in the state, Atkins will embark on a statewide tour later this month, trekking from Red Bluff in Northern California down to Riverside.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t just the most qualified person this time,\u201d U.S. Rep. Scott Peters said of Atkins. \u201cThis is the most qualified person in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crux of Atkins\u2019 bid, Peters noted, was how to raise the profile of someone who\u2019s already been at the top of state government for so long.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge is she\u2019s been pretty quiet,\u201d he said of Atkin\u2019s time in politics. \u201cAll we have to do is get that word out.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Flanked](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SUT-L-Toni-Atkins-002.jpg\")
Flanked by local political, tribal, and union leaders, California gubernatorial candidate Toni Atkins (D), delivers remarks during the official opening of her campaign headquarters in Middletown, Saturday Aug. 9, 2025. (Howard Lipin \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nWhere\u2019s the polling and money?<\/p>\n
Polling this early in the race has been scattershot. But with Harris officially out, where the field stands has come into sharper focus.<\/p>\n