Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs Announces Run For Lt. Governor

Former Stockton Mayor and current special advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michael Tubbs, best known for his universal income pilot program for 18 months,  announced on Wednesday he is running for Lt. Governor in 2026.

A Stockton native, Tubbs graduated from Stanford University with both a Bachelorette and then, two years later, a Masters in Policy, Leadership, and Organization Studies. He began his political career while still going for his Bachelors degree, interning at the White House over a summer. However, it began in earnest when, while still studying for his Masters, he ran for and won a seat on the Stockton City Council at the age of only 23 in 2012. Serving for 4 years on the Council, he became the youngest Council member in city history and was one of the youngest people elected to office in the entire country.

In 2016, Tubbs ran for Mayor of Stockton. To the surprise of many, Tubbs beat then-current Mayor Anthony Silva with more than 70% of the vote. While he went ahead with many progressive projects as Mayor, he became best known for his universal basic income (UBI) pilot program. The program, Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) project, provided a $500 monthly stipend to 125 Stockton residents for 18 months with no strings attached between February 2019 and August 2020.

While the SEED project had mixed results, many cities also created dozens pilot UBI projects in Tubbs’ program’s wake, with many in California. However, the spike in UBI programs was largely seen as a COVID-relief project of sorts by many cities by giving affected residents  basic income for a pilot period of time. Since then, the number of UBI programs in the US has decreased.

However, Tubbs’ popularity soon waned, and by 2018, he was already fighting off recall attempts because of his programs being ‘fiscally irresponsible‘. When Tubbs ran for reelection in 2020 he lost to Republican Kevin Lincoln, in part because of his progressive policies and in part because many residents saw that he was focusing more on his national profile rather than Stockton. However, after a few months out of office, Tubbs was named by Governor Gavin Newsom as his Special Advisor for Economic Mobility and Opportunity. He also soon started up his own wealth inequality non-profit organization End Poverty in California (EPIC).

After being out of elected office for more than 3 years, Tubbs attempted a political comeback on Wednesday by announcing that he would be running for Lt. Governor of California in 2026. While it is unknown if he will be highlighting potential state UBI programs as part of his platform, Tubbs said in his announcement that he wants more affordable housing, more environmental protections, and more access to higher education. He is also specifically calling for progressive policies on crime and punishment to be restored after several  years of tougher criminal sentences and arrests being partially restored in recent years.

Thank you for all the support today. I’m truly so humbled.

Today is just the beginning of our fight. Our fight for bold, innovative solutions to the challenges facing California.

It'll take all of us coming together to achieve. So please join us: https://t.co/zaRyxqPw3p pic.twitter.com/TiSEsNDIF3

— Michael Tubbs (@MichaelDTubbs) July 18, 2024

“Oftentimes it’s not about the formal role or statutory authority of a position, but it’s really about the leader in that position and how they’re able to use that position to get things done and to make it big or to make it meaningful for the people they want to serve,” said Tubbs on Wednesday. “I have a track record of doing hard things. When we think of sort of the problems that have been caused by Sacramento or attempted to be solved by Sacramento, I’m just not convinced those same problems can be solved by people who’ve spent decades in Sacramento.

“My hope is to do such a great job that in four to eight years, after the job, I have all types of options for things to do. I need to get back in the game because we need to get back to our better angels.”

Tubbs announcement was met with a mixed reaction on Wednesday and Thursday, with many political analysts saying that his run for Lt. Governor would likely not go too far.

“He’s 33, and that is pretty young,” said Central Valley pollster Jack Gomez to the Globe on Thursday. “But he is running as a progressive against some other big left names for the position. Fiona Ma, the California State Treasurer is running, as is Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), the latter of whom has been of of the main proponents of reparations. That’s a tall order for the former kid mayor.

“Also, Tubbs is obviously eyeing higher office. Look at that last part of the announcement and compare it to every recent Lt. Governor in California. They have either run for Governor or became Governor or got some other big political position out of it. Lt. Governor would be a stepping stone for him, just like anyone else running. But remember, he was only a one-termer and lost his seat to a Republican. Losing to a Republican in California is almost a career killer for Democrats, and you can be sure his opponents will bring that up.

“Tubbs wants back in an elected position, and Lt. Governor, even if he loses, will put his name out there again at the very least.”

More on Tubbs’ campaign is likely to come out soon.