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Betty Yee
Betty Yee is an officeholder of the Democratic Party of California Vice Chair.
Yee (Democratic Party) is running for election for Governor of California. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Biography
Prior to being elected controller, Yee was elected to the Board of Equalization in 2006 where she represented 21 counties in northern and central California. She was re-elected to a second term in 2010.[1]
Education
- B.A. in sociology, University of California, Berkeley
- MPA, Golden Gate University, San Francisco[1]
Political career
California Controller (2015-2022)
Yee was first elected to the state controller's office on November 4, 2014. She was sworn into office on January 5, 2015, replacing term-limited predecessor John Chiang (D).[1]
Elections
2026
See also: California gubernatorial election, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Governor of California
The following candidates are running in the general election for Governor of California on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Ethan Agarwal (D) | ||
 | Xavier Becerra (D) | |
 | Ian Charles Calderon (D) | |
 | Katie Porter (D) | |
 | Raji Rab (D) | |
 | Tony Thurmond (D) | |
 | Antonio Villaraigosa (D) | |
 | Betty Yee (D) | |
 | Michael Younger (D) | |
 | Chad Bianco (R) | |
 | Sharifah Hardie (R)  | |
 | Steve Hilton (R) | |
 | Brandon Jones (R) | |
 | Kyle Langford (R) | |
 | Daniel Mercuri (R) | |
 | Leo Zacky (R) | |
 | Nicholas Thompson (L) | |
 | Jesse Alberti (No party preference) | |
| Tony Fitzpatrick (No party preference) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Toni Atkins (D)
- Eleni Kounalakis (D)
- Javen Allen (No party preference)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2022
- See also: California Controller election, 2022
Betty Yee was not able to file for re-election due to term limits.
2018
- See also: California Controller election, 2018
General election
General election for California Controller
Incumbent Betty Yee defeated Konstantinos Roditis in the general election for California Controller on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Betty Yee (D) | 65.5 | 8,013,067 |
 | Konstantinos Roditis (R) | 34.5 | 4,229,480 | |
| Total votes: 12,242,547 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California Controller
Incumbent Betty Yee and Konstantinos Roditis defeated Mary Lou Finley in the primary for California Controller on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Betty Yee (D) | 62.1 | 4,033,197 |
| ✔ | | Konstantinos Roditis (R) | 33.9 | 2,200,926 |
 | Mary Lou Finley (Peace and Freedom Party) | 4.0 | 261,876 | |
| Total votes: 6,495,999 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
Yee ran for election to the office of California Controller. Yee secured one of two possible nominations in the primary on June 3, 2014, and faced Republican Ashley Swearengin in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Results
Primary election
| California Controller, Blanket Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Ashley Swearengin |
24.8% | 1,001,473 | |
| Democratic | Betty Yee |
21.7% | 878,195 | |
| Democratic | John Perez | 21.7% | 877,714 | |
| Republican | David Evans | 21% | 850,109 | |
| Green | Laura Wells | 5.7% | 231,352 | |
| Democratic | Tammy D. Blair | 5% | 200,532 | |
| Total Votes | 4,039,375 | |||
| Election results via California Secretary of State | ||||
General election
| California Controller, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Betty Yee |
54% | 3,810,304 | |
| Republican | Ashley Swearengin | 46% | 3,249,668 | |
| Total Votes | 7,059,972 | |||
| Election results via California Secretary of State | ||||
Close contest
In the June 3 primary, Republican Mayor of Fresno Ashley Swearengin secured the first nomination to advance to the general election, but the race for second place was considered too-close-to-call until July 1, when Democrat Betty Yee was named the winner by less than 500 votes out of over 4 million ballots cast, or one-hundredth of one percent.[2] Any registered California voter can request a recount within five days of the official canvassing deadline, however he or she would have to foot the bill. The high cost of a statewide recount works as an effective deterrent to members of the public who might otherwise be compelled to instigate proceedings, leaving the narrowly defeated candidate to make the call. In a statement released after Yee was declared the victor, third-place finisher and fellow Democrat John Pérez said, "Since this is one of closest statewide elections in the history of California, we have an obligation to review and ensure that every vote cast is accurately counted."[3] Pérez' campaign held a reported $1.8 million cash in hand before the primary, short of the $2.7 million estimated cost of a statewide hand recount.[4]
On July 6, Pérez ordered a recount to take place in 15 counties, including the populous Los Angeles County, where he planned to invest $1 million in hopes that home turf advantage might sway the vote in his favor.[5] Recount efforts lasted one week before Perez officially conceded the race to Yee.[6]
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Governor of California |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 California State Controller, "Controller Betty T. Yee," accessed July 22, 2016
- ↑ Sacramento Bee, "Capitol Alert: California controller's race among tightest in U.S. since 2000," July 1, 2014
- ↑ John Pérez for Controller 2014 Official campaign website, "Homepage," accessed July 2, 2014
- ↑ CalNewsroom.com, "Controller 2014: Why the cost of a recount favors Betty Yee," June 28, 2014
- ↑ The Los Angeles Times, "John Pérez calls for recount in tight race for state controller," July 6, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Perez calls off recount in California Controller race," July 18, 2014
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Chiang (D) |
California Controller 2015-2023 |
Succeeded by Malia Cohen (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Democratic Party of California Vice Chair -Present |
Succeeded by - |
