Michael Gates (California)

Michael Gates

Republican Party

Candidate, Attorney General of California

Elections and appointments

Next election

June 2, 2026

Education

Law

Pepperdine University

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

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Michael Gates (Republican Party) is running for election for Attorney General of California. Gates declared candidacy for the primary scheduled on June 2, 2026.

Gates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Michael Gates earned a law degree from Pepperdine University. Gates' career experience includes working as an attorney.

Elections

2026

See also: California Attorney General election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for Attorney General of California

Incumbent Rob Bonta (D) and Michael Gates (R) are running in the primary for Attorney General of California on June 2, 2026.

		Candidate
		Rob Bonta (D)
		Michael Gates (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Gates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gates' responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Michael E. Gates is a husband, father of five, and seasoned attorney who is running to serve Californians as our next Attorney General. A lifelong Californian, he is deeply rooted in our communities and guided by a steadfast commitment to family, hard work, and public service. Michael began his legal career in private practice as a litigator and trial attorney, ultimately becoming a partner at a respected Orange County law firm. After building a successful legal career, he chose public service over private success. In 2014, he was elected City Attorney of Huntington Beach and went on to earn the trust of voters in three consecutive citywide elections — 2014, 2018, and 2022 — serving ten years in that role.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Restore Public Safety and Enforce the Law Equally As Attorney General, he will prosecute violent criminals, combat fentanyl trafficking and organized retail theft, and ensure laws are enforced fairly and consistently without political favoritism.
• Bring Accountability Back to Government Michael will restore integrity, transparency, and constitutional accountability to California’s justice system and hold government agencies to the same standards as everyone else.
• Proven Legal Experience and Leadership With decades of courtroom and trial experience and ten years as an elected City Attorney, Michael Gates has a record of standing up for taxpayers, defending communities, and winning tough legal battles. He brings real-world legal experience, not political rhetoric.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Michael is passionate about restoring public safety and ensuring laws are enforced fairly and consistently across California. He believes the Attorney General must defend constitutional rights, hold criminals accountable, and keep politics out of the justice system. He is also committed to protecting families, supporting law enforcement, and bringing transparency and accountability back to state government.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Tony Strickland; Steve Hilton; Gloria Romero; David Tangipa; Carl DeMaio; Tri Ta; Tony Rackauckas; Huntington Beach Police Officers’ Association; Don Wagner; Janet Nguyen; Hugh Nguyen; Steve Garvey; Elizabeth Barcohana; Houman Hemmati; Sonja Shaw; Mari Barke; Ken Williams; Lisa Sparks; Dr. Stefan Bean; Don Barnes; Marie Alvarado-Gil; Brian Jones; Roger Niello; Megan Dahle; Steve Choi; Monterey County Republican Party; San Mateo County Republican Party; Lincoln Club of Orange County

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.

See also

2026 Elections

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