2018 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election

{{Short description|none}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{Infobox election

|election_name = 2018 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election

|country = California

|type = presidential

|ongoing = no

|previous_election = 2014 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election

|previous_year = 2014

|next_election = 2022 California Superintendent of Public Instruction election

|next_year = 2022

|election_date = June 5, 2018 (first round)
November 6, 2018 (runoff)

|1blank = First round

|2blank = Runoff

|image1 = File:Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (cropped).jpg

| image_size = 150x150px

|candidate1 = Tony Thurmond

|color1 = c0c0c0

|1data1 = 2,136,919
35.6%

|2data1 = 5,385,912
50.9%

|image2 = File:Marshall Tuck (cropped).jpg

|candidate2 = Marshall Tuck

|color2 = c0c0c0

|1data2 = 2,223,784
37.0%

|2data2 = 5,198,738
49.1%

|image3 = 150x150x

|candidate4 = Lily Ploski

|color4 = c0c0c0

|1data4 = 984,932
16.4%

|2data4 = Eliminated

|image5 = 150x150x

|candidate5 = Steven Ireland

|color5 = c0c0c0

|1data5 = 658,786
11.0%

|2data5 = Eliminated

|title = SPI

| map_image = {{switcher|250px|First round county results|250px|Runoff county results|default=2}}

| map_size = 300px

| map_caption = Thurmond {{legend0|#c0f0c0|20–30%}} {{legend0|#aae5aa|30–40%}} {{legend0|#87de87|40–50%}} {{legend0|#5fd35f|50–60%}} {{legend0|#37c837|60–70%}}
Tuck {{legend0|#ffac8e|30–40%}} {{legend0|#ff8e65|40–50%}} {{legend0|#ff7644|50–60%}} {{legend0|#f8581e|60–70%}} {{legend0|#cd3700|70–80%}}
Ploski {{legend0|#ffdd55|30–40%}}

|before_election = Tom Torlakson

|after_election = Tony Thurmond

}}

{{ElectionsCA}}

The 2018 California Superintendent of Public Instruction primary election was held on June 5, 2018, to elect the Superintendent of Public Instruction of California. Unlike most other elections in California, the superintendent is not elected under the state's "top-two primary". Instead, the officially nonpartisan position is elected via a general election, with a runoff held on November 6, 2018, because no candidate received a majority of the vote.

The previous incumbent, Superintendent Tom Torlakson, was term-limited, so could not seek a third term. As no candidate received a majority in the general election, a runoff was held between two Democrats: Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond. Thurmond narrowly defeated Tuck.

General election

  • Note: The state Superintendent of Public Instruction election in California is officially nonpartisan. The parties below identify which party label each candidate would have run under if given the option.

=Candidates=

==Declared==

  • Steven Ireland{{cite web |url=http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov//statewide-elections/2018-primary/cert-list-candidates.pdf|title=2018 certified list of candidates|website=elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov|access-date=2 March 2023}}
  • Lily Ploski, former educator and administrator{{cite news|url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lily-e-ploski-announces-bid-california-state-public-2018-ploski/|title=Lily E. Ploski Announces Bid for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction 2018|date=2017-12-26|access-date=2018-04-17|language=en}}
  • Tony Thurmond, Democratic State Assemblyman (Democratic)
  • Marshall Tuck, former CEO of Partnership for LA Schools, former president of Green Dot Public Schools and candidate in 2014{{cite web|url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article138221628.html|title=Marshall Tuck running again for California schools chief: 'We've settled for mediocrity'|work=The Sacramento Bee|last=Koseff|first=Alexei|date=March 13, 2017|access-date=April 4, 2017}} (Democratic)
  • Douglas I. Vigil (write-in){{cite web |url=http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov//statewide-elections/2018-primary/cert-list-write-in-candidates.pdf|title=2018 certified list of candidates|website=elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov|access-date=2 March 2023}}
  • Thomas L. Williams (write-in)

==Declined==

  • Natalia Sanchez, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/two-nasa-engineers-try-out-politics|title=Two NASA Engineers Try Out Politics|magazine=The New Yorker|last=Holloway|first=Marguerite|date=March 27, 2017|access-date=April 4, 2017}}

=Endorsements=

{{Endorsements box

| title = Tony Thurmond

| list =

Federal-level Elected Officials

State-level Elected Officials

  • Tom Torlakson, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Jack O'Connell, former California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State
  • Betty Yee, California State Controller
  • Dave Jones, California Insurance Commissioner
  • Fiona Ma, California State Board of Equalization member
  • Jerome Horton, California State Board of Equalization member
  • Toni Atkins, president pro tempore of the California State Senate, (SD-39 San Diego)
  • Ben Hueso, California State Senator (SD-40 San Diego)
  • Bill Monning, California State Senator (SD-17 Monterey)
  • Bob Wieckowski, California State Senator (SD-10 Fremont)
  • Cathleen Galgiani, California State Senator (SD-05 Stockton)
  • Connie Leyva, California State Senator (SD-20 Chino)
  • Ed Hernandez, California State Senator (SD-22 West Covina)
  • Hannah-Beth Jackson, California State Senator (SD-19 Santa Barbara)
  • Holly Mitchell, California State Senator (SD-30 Los Angeles)
  • Jerry Hill, California State Senator (SD-13 San Mateo)
  • Jim Beall, California State Senator (SD-15 San Jose)
  • Josh Newman, California State Senator (SD-29 Brea)
  • Mike McGuire, California State Senator (SD-02 Santa Rosa)
  • Ricardo Lara, California State Senator (SD-33 Bell Gardens)
  • Isadore Hall III, former California State Senator (SD-34 Compton)
  • Mark Leno, former California State Senator (SD-09 San Francisco)
  • Anthony Rendon, Speaker of the California State Assembly (AD-63 South Gate)
  • Ash Kalra, California State Assemblymember (AD-27 San Jose)
  • Chris Holden, California State Assemblymember (AD-41 Pasadena)
  • David Chiu, California State Assemblymember (AD-17 San Francisco)
  • Ed Chau, California State Assemblymember (AD-49 Monterey Park)
  • Eduardo Garcia, California State Assemblymember (AD-56 Imperial)
  • Eloise Reyes, California State Assemblymember (AD-47 San Bernardino)
  • Freddie Rodriguez, California State Assemblymember (AD-52 Chino)
  • Ian Calderon, California State Assemblymember (AD-57 Santa Fe Springs)
  • Jim Cooper, California State Assemblymember (AD-35 Elk Grove)
  • Jim Frazier, California State Assemblymember (AD-11 Fairfield)
  • Jim Wood, California State Assemblymember (AD-02 Eureka)
  • Jose Medina, California State Assemblymember (AD-61 Riverside)
  • Kansen Chu, California State Assemblymember (AD-25 Milpitas)
  • Ken Cooley, California State Assemblymember (AD-08 Rancho Cordova)
  • Kevin McCarty, California State Assemblymember (AD-07 Sacramento)
  • Kevin Mullin, California State Assemblymember (AD-22 San Mateo)
  • Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, California State Assemblymember (AD-80 San Diego)
  • Mark Stone, California State Assemblymember (AD-29 Santa Cruz/Monterey)
  • Miguel Santiago, California State Assemblymember (AD-53 Los Angeles)
  • Mike Gipson, California State Assemblymember (AD-64 Gardena/Compton)
  • Patrick O'Donnell, California State Assemblymember (AD-70 Long Beach)
  • Phil Ting, California State Assemblymember (AD-19 San Francisco)
  • Reggie Jones-Sawyer, California State Assemblymember (AD-59 Los Angeles)
  • Rob Bonta, California State Assemblymember (AD-18 Oakland)
  • Rudy Salas, California State Assemblymember (AD-32 Bakersfield)
  • Sharon Quirk-Silva, California State Assemblymember (AD-65 Buena Park)
  • Tom Daly, California State Assemblymember (AD-69 Anaheim)
  • Fred Keeley, former Speaker of the California State Assembly (AD-27 Santa Cruz/Monterey)
  • Richard Gordon, former California State Assemblymember (AD-24 San Mateo)

Local-level Elected Officials

Organizations

Newspapers

  • Los Angeles Times{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/endorsements/la-ed-endorsement-superintendent-public-instruction-20180423-story.html |title=Endorsement: For his unwavering commitment to at-risk students, Tony Thurmond for superintendent of public instruction |website=Los Angeles Times |date=23 April 2018}}
  • Sacramento Bee{{cite web|url=http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article209944079.html |title=It's Thurmond for superintendent of public instruction, as California politics shift |url-status=live |access-date=2022-01-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502025656/http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article209944079.html |archive-date=2018-05-02 }}
  • The Bay Area Reporter

Individuals

}}

{{Endorsements box

| title = Marshall Tuck

| list =

Federal-level Appointed Officials

Federal-level Elected Officials

  • George Miller, former U.S. Representative (D-CA-11){{cite web |url=https://marshalltuck.com/george-miller-endorsement/ |title=Forty-year Bay Area Congressman George Miller (Ret.) Endorses Marshall Tuck for State Superintendent of Public Instruction |archive-date=2018-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421031312/https://marshalltuck.com/george-miller-endorsement/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-01-08}}

State-level Elected Officials

  • Bill Honig, former California Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Steve Westly, former California State Controller
  • Bill Dodd, California State Senator
  • Shirley Weber, California State Assemblywoman{{cite web |url=https://marshalltuck.com/weber-endorsement/ |title=Assemblymember Shirley Weber Endorses Marshall Tuck for State Superintendent of Public Instruction |archive-date=2018-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421031547/https://marshalltuck.com/weber-endorsement/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-01-08}}
  • Bob Pacheco, former California State Assemblyman
  • Scott Wiener, California State Senator{{cite web |url=https://marshalltuck.com/legislators-endorse/ |title=Four Democratic Legislators Endorse Marshall Tuck for State Superintendent |archive-date=2018-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421031527/https://marshalltuck.com/legislators-endorse/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-01-08}}
  • Steve Glazer, California State Senator
  • Blanca Rubio, California State Assemblywoman
  • Marc Berman, California State Assemblyman
  • Kevin Kiley, California State Assemblyman (Republican)
  • Juan Arambula, former California State Assemblyman (Independent)
  • Gary Hart, former California State Senator

Local-level Elected Officials

Organizations

  • Association of California School Administrators{{cite web |url=https://marshalltuck.com/acsa-endorsement/ |title=Association of California School Administrators Endorses Marshall Tuck for State Superintendent |archive-date=2018-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421031259/https://marshalltuck.com/acsa-endorsement/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-01-08}}
  • California Peace Officers' Association

Newspapers

  • San Francisco Chronicle{{cite web |url=https://marshalltuck.com/sf-chronicle-endorses-tuck/ |title=SF Chronicle Editorial Board Endorses Marshall Tuck |archive-date=2018-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421031525/https://marshalltuck.com/sf-chronicle-endorses-tuck/ |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-01-08}}
  • Mercury News
  • East Bay Times
  • Santa Cruz Sentinel
  • San Diego Union-Tribune{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/sd-marshall-tuck-for-school-superintendent-20180523-story.html|title=Endorsement: Marshall Tuck for state superintendent of schools|date=23 May 2018}}

Individuals

}}

=Results=

{{Election box begin no party no change

| title = California Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2018{{cite web|url=http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2018-primary/sov/2018-complete-sov.pdf|title=Complete Statement of Votes|publisher=California Secretary of State |access-date=July 22, 2018}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate no party no change

| candidate = Marshall Tuck

| votes = 2,223,784

| percentage = 37.0%

}}

{{Election box winning candidate no party no change

| candidate = Tony Thurmond

| votes = 2,136,919

| percentage = 35.6%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change

| candidate = Lily Ploski

| votes = 984,932

| percentage = 16.4%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change

| candidate = Steven Ireland

| votes = 658,786

| percentage = 11.0%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change

| candidate = Douglas I. Vigil (write-in)

| votes = 83

| percentage = 0.0%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change

| candidate = Thomas L. Williams (write-in)

| votes = 66

| percentage = 0.0%

}}

{{Election box total no party no change

| votes = 6,004,570

| percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box end}}

Runoff

=Candidates=

  • Tony Thurmond, Democratic State Assemblyman{{cite web|url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article142430224.html|title=Tony Thurmond enters schools chief race pledging to fight Trump on education funding|last=Koseff|first=Alexei|date=April 3, 2017|work=The Sacramento Bee|access-date=April 4, 2017}}
  • Marshall Tuck, former CEO of Partnership for LA Schools, former president of Green Dot Public Schools and candidate in 2014

=Endorsements=

{{Endorsements box

| title = Tony Thurmond

| list =

Federal-level Elected Officials

State-level Elected Officials

  • Tom Torlakson, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Jack O'Connell, former California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State
  • Betty Yee, California State Controller
  • Dave Jones, California Insurance Commissioner
  • Fiona Ma, California State Board of Equalization member
  • Jerome Horton, California State Board of Equalization member
  • Toni Atkins, president pro tempore of the California State Senate, (SD-39 San Diego)
  • Ben Hueso, California State Senator (SD-40 San Diego)
  • Bill Monning, California State Senator (SD-17 Monterey)
  • Bob Wieckowski, California State Senator (SD-10 Fremont)
  • Cathleen Galgiani, California State Senator (SD-05 Stockton)
  • Connie Leyva, California State Senator (SD-20 Chino)
  • Ed Hernandez, California State Senator (SD-22 West Covina)
  • Hannah-Beth Jackson, California State Senator (SD-19 Santa Barbara)
  • Holly Mitchell, California State Senator (SD-30 Los Angeles)
  • Jerry Hill, California State Senator (SD-13 San Mateo)
  • Jim Beall, California State Senator (SD-15 San Jose)
  • Josh Newman, California State Senator (SD-29 Brea)
  • Mike McGuire, California State Senator (SD-02 Santa Rosa)
  • Ricardo Lara, California State Senator (SD-33 Bell Gardens)
  • Isadore Hall III, former California State Senator (SD-34 Compton)
  • Mark Leno, former California State Senator (SD-09 San Francisco)
  • Anthony Rendon, Speaker of the California State Assembly (AD-63 South Gate)
  • Ash Kalra, California State Assemblymember (AD-27 San Jose)
  • Chris Holden, California State Assemblymember (AD-41 Pasadena)
  • David Chiu, California State Assemblymember (AD-17 San Francisco)
  • Ed Chau, California State Assemblymember (AD-49 Monterey Park)
  • Eduardo Garcia, California State Assemblymember (AD-56 Imperial)
  • Eloise Reyes, California State Assemblymember (AD-47 San Bernardino)
  • Freddie Rodriguez, California State Assemblymember (AD-52 Chino)
  • Ian Calderon, California State Assemblymember (AD-57 Santa Fe Springs)
  • Jim Cooper, California State Assemblymember (AD-35 Elk Grove)
  • Jim Frazier, California State Assemblymember (AD-11 Fairfield)
  • Jim Wood, California State Assemblymember (AD-02 Eureka)
  • Jose Medina, California State Assemblymember (AD-61 Riverside)
  • Kansen Chu, California State Assemblymember (AD-25 Milpitas)
  • Ken Cooley, California State Assemblymember (AD-08 Rancho Cordova)
  • Kevin McCarty, California State Assemblymember (AD-07 Sacramento)
  • Kevin Mullin, California State Assemblymember (AD-22 San Mateo)
  • Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, California State Assemblymember (AD-80 San Diego)
  • Mark Stone, California State Assemblymember (AD-29 Santa Cruz/Monterey)
  • Miguel Santiago, California State Assemblymember (AD-53 Los Angeles)
  • Mike Gipson, California State Assemblymember (AD-64 Gardena/Compton)
  • Patrick O'Donnell, California State Assemblymember (AD-70 Long Beach)
  • Phil Ting, California State Assemblymember (AD-19 San Francisco)
  • Reggie Jones-Sawyer, California State Assemblymember (AD-59 Los Angeles)
  • Rob Bonta, California State Assemblymember (AD-18 Oakland)
  • Rudy Salas, California State Assemblymember (AD-32 Bakersfield)
  • Sharon Quirk-Silva, California State Assemblymember (AD-65 Buena Park)
  • Tom Daly, California State Assemblymember (AD-69 Anaheim)
  • Fred Keeley, former Speaker of the California State Assembly (AD-27 Santa Cruz/Monterey)
  • Richard Gordon, former California State Assemblymember (AD-24 San Mateo)

Local-level Elected Officials

Organizations

Newspapers

Individuals

}}

{{Endorsements box

| title = Marshall Tuck

| list =

Federal-level Appointed Officials

Federal-level Elected Officials

State-level Elected Officials

Local-level Elected Officials

Organizations

  • Association of California School Administrators
  • California Peace Officers' Association

Newspapers

Individuals

}}

=Polling=

class="wikitable"
valign=bottom

! Poll source

! Date(s)
administered

! Sample
size

! Margin
of error

! style="width:100px;"| Tony
Thurmond

! style="width:100px;"| Marshall
Tuck

! Undecided

UC Berkeley[https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3949w8v3 UC Berkeley]

| align=center| October 19–26, 2018

| align=center| 1,339

| align=center| ± 4.0%

| align=center| 36%

| {{Party shading/Nonpartisan}} align=center| 48%

| align=center| 16%

Thomas Partners Strategies[https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=fd19d69505045f7e019bb4a7a&id=9f50874d72 Thomas Partners Strategies]

| align=center| October 18–20, 2018

| align=center| 1,068

| align=center| ± 3.5%

| align=center| 35%

| {{Party shading/Nonpartisan}} align=center| 37%

| align=center| 28%

Thomas Partners Strategies[https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=fd19d69505045f7e019bb4a7a&id=ab58bcdf7b Thomas Partners Strategies]

| align=center| October 5–7, 2018

| align=center| 1,068

| align=center| ± 3.5%

| align=center| 28%

| {{Party shading/Nonpartisan}} align=center| 30%

| {{Party shading/Undecided}} align=center| 41%

Thomas Partners Strategies[https://us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=fd19d69505045f7e019bb4a7a&id=2d6fa782b1 Thomas Partners Strategies]

| align=center| September 28–30, 2018

| align=center| 1,068

| align=center| ± 3.5%

| align=center| 17%

| {{party shading/Nonpartisan}} align=center| 29%

| {{Party shading/Undecided}} align=center| 54%

=Results=

{{Election box begin no party

| title = California Superintendent of Public Instruction election runoff, 2018{{cite web|url=https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2018-general/sov/2018-complete-sov.pdf|title=Superintendent of Public Instruction - Statewide Results |publisher=California Secretary of State|access-date=January 18, 2020}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate no party

| candidate = Tony Thurmond

| votes = 5,385,912

| percentage = 50.9%

| change = N/A

}}

{{Election box candidate no party

| candidate = Marshall Tuck

| votes = 5,198,738

| percentage = 49.1%

| change = +1.3%

}}

{{Election box total no party

| votes = 10,584,650

| percentage = 100%

| change =

}}

{{Election box end}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}