Nicholas Thompson (California)

Nicholas Thompson

Libertarian Party

Candidate, Governor of California

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

High school

Pleasant Valley High School

Personal

Birthplace

Chico, Calif.

Profession

Activist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Nicholas Thompson (Libertarian Party) is running for election for Governor of California. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Thompson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Nicholas Thompson was born in Chico, California. He earned a high school diploma from Pleasant Valley High School.

Elections

2026

See also: California gubernatorial election, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

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
	Submit photo	Ethan Agarwal (D)
		Toni Atkins (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)
	Submit photo	Tony Fitzpatrick (No party preference)

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Eleni Kounalakis (D)
• Javen Allen (No party preference)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nicholas Thompson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Thompson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Nicholas Aiden Thompson. I am running for governor of California in 2026 to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the state's leadership. As someone deeply committed to the principles of individual liberty and effective governance, I aim to represent the interests of all Californians and promote policies that ensure freedom, prosperity, and accountability.

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?

• Individual Freedom: Promote personal liberty and responsibility.
• Economic Prosperity: Foster an environment suitable to drive innovation, job creation, and economic growth.
• Government Accountability: Ensure transparency and accountability in government, making sure taxpayer money is used wisely.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Advocating for the viability and importance of all voices in elections. A third-party vote is not wasted. I am very passionate for ranked choice voting to ensure fair representation and empower voters to choose candidates they truly support.

I also advocate for reducing non-violent offenses, promoting rehabilitation over incarceration, and ensuring fairness and accountability in law enforcement practices.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

"The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom" by David Boaz

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, ideological consistency, commitment to individual human rights, fiscal responsibility, transparency in decision-making, and a strong stance against corruption and abuse of power.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Protect individual freedoms, promote economic opportunity, ensure public safety, manage state finances responsibly, and uphold the rule of law.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Killing of Osama bin Laden; I was five.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

It means that I'd have the privilege and responsibility to lead our state forward, making decisions that uphold our values of liberty, opportunity, and accountability for every Californian.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

I prioritize ensuring effective management of state finances and promoting policies that foster economic growth and opportunity for all residents.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

One of cooperation, checks and balances, and mutual respect.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

Sparingly and only in cases where immediate action is necessary to protect life, property, or individual liberties from imminent and severe threats that cannot be addressed through normal legislative processes.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

They are necessary to ensure trust in an effective governance.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I support exploring reforms like ranked choice voting (RCV) to enhance voter choice and representation in the ballot initiative process. RCV helps ensure that initiatives reflect broader consensus and reduce polarization.

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.

Note: Thompson submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on September 2, 2024.

July 16 submission

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Nicholas Aiden Thompson. I am running for governor of California in 2026 to bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the state's leadership. As someone deeply committed to the principles of individual liberty and effective governance, I aim to represent the interests of all Californians and promote policies that ensure freedom, prosperity, and accountability.

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?

• Individual Freedom: Promote personal liberty and responsibility.
• Economic Prosperity: Foster an environment suitable to drive innovation, job creation, and economic growth.
• Government Accountability: Ensure transparency and accountability in government, making sure taxpayer money is used wisely.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Advocating for the viability and importance of all voices in elections. A third-party vote is not wasted. I am very passionate for ranked choice voting to ensure fair representation and empower voters to choose candidates they truly support.

I also advocate for reducing non-violent offenses, promoting rehabilitation over incarceration, and ensuring fairness and accountability in law enforcement practices.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

"The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom" by David Boaz

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, ideological consistency, commitment to individual human rights, fiscal responsibility, transparency in decision-making, and a strong stance against corruption and abuse of power.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Protect individual freedoms, promote economic opportunity, ensure public safety, manage state finances responsibly, and uphold the rule of law.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Killing of Osama bin Laden; I was five.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

It means that I'd have the privilege and responsibility to lead our state forward, making decisions that uphold our values of liberty, opportunity, and accountability for every Californian.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

I prioritize ensuring effective management of state finances and promoting policies that foster economic growth and opportunity for all residents.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

One of cooperation, checks and balances, and mutual respect.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

Sparingly and only in cases where immediate action is necessary to protect life, property, or individual liberties from imminent and severe threats that cannot be addressed through normal legislative processes

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

They are necessary to ensure trust in an effective governance.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I support exploring reforms like ranked choice voting (RCV) to enhance voter choice and representation in the ballot initiative process. RCV helps ensure that initiatives reflect broader consensus and reduce polarization.

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.

Note: Thompson submitted the above survey responses to Ballotpedia on July 16, 2024.

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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Candidate

Governor of California

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Footnotes

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