Breaking: Former state controller Betty Yee drops out of California governor’s race

Betty Yee, California’s former state controller, announced Monday she decided to suspend her campaign to be the state’s next governor after it became clear the donor and voter support was not there.

Speaking during a virtual press conference Monday morning, Yee pointed to a career in public service and said her work will continue as a “fellow Californian,” not as a candidate. 

“Public service has been the honor of my lifetime, and attentive leadership really requires one to recognize the times that we're in, understanding the ills and the challenges we face, and how best to serve,” Yee said Monday. 

Ultimately, Yee said, donors “felt a chill” from her place in the polls and it became increasingly clear that the campaign would not have “sufficient resources” to get to the end. Her campaign had been confident they could get the large portion of undecided voters on side, but that ended up not being the case, Yee said.

The most recent Emerson College poll showed Yee at just over 1%; Yee consistently polled in the low single digits in recent months.

Asked if she is planning on endorsing one of her fellow candidates, Yee said she has not yet made her decision, but that an endorsement announcement will come in the next few days.

The candidate she chooses to endorse must have a clear plan for developing California’s economic strength, Yee said. From the people she spoke to while campaigning, Yee said it is also clear the next governor must prioritize representing “diverse interests.”

Yee described the race as “unusual, unpredictable and unsettling,” alluding to weeks of confusion as the perceived Democratic frontrunner, former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, was forced to leave the race after damning allegations of sexual abuse were published earlier this month.

With Swalwell’s supporters up for grabs, other Democratic candidates, including former California Attorney General and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan saw an increase in support that Yee did not. She said that her campaign “continued to stay grounded,” despite the uncertainty in the race, but that it became clear in the last week that donors were “not going to be there.”

Yee’s and Swalwell’s names will still appear on the June 2 primary ballot, as the deadline for a candidate to remove their name passed last month.

Yee was one of the first candidates to enter the ring, announcing her candidacy in March 2024. She ran on her experience as a two-term state controller.

In the near-term, Yee said she will continue canvassing for candidates running for Congress that will protect immigrant and border communities and work on environmental justice for those communities. 

“I'm not going away,” Yee said. “This has been my passion. I'm gonna fight for this future that I really believe in.”