Republican John Slavett, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, announced Thursday that he will join a crowded field of candidates running for governor next year to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Mr. Slevet, 58, a longtime Democrat who has never run for political office, said in an interview Thursday that he believes his business background provides the best foundation for solving the state’s problems — poverty, homelessness, unemployment and energy costs — based on conversations with California voters.
“Everything that goes wrong, we’re the ones who did it in the first place,” Slavet said. “I’m an entrepreneur, a manager, and a doer. I’ve started several companies over the years, but my calling is to do, build, and solve things.
“I’m not going to stand by and watch California go deeper into the trenches. I have a very relevant and special background to get involved,” he added. “So what I’ve learned from looking at California and looking at government is that we have problems that are, at heart, government-created. In California, they’re man-made problems. And it’s incredibly frustrating and also empowering to understand that, because we can change leadership. We can change policy, we can fundamentally change the trajectory of the state.”
Slavet joins the race to become the leader of the country’s most populous state and the world’s fourth-largest economy.
For more than two decades, California gubernatorial races have been dominated by prominent figures on both sides, including Mr. Newsom and former governors. Global celebrity Arnold Schwarzenegger and California political icon Jerry Brown.
However, the competition in 2026 is more stable and the outcome of the race is difficult to predict. Nearly a dozen prominent Democrats and Republicans are running to replace Newsom, who cannot seek re-election due to term limits. None of the candidates running for next year’s gubernatorial race have the star quality of California’s recent leaders, leading to a wild and unpredictable election in one of the most expensive states in the nation.
The millionaire, who donated $100,000 to the newly formed electoral committee, admitted he plans to spend at least seven figures on the bid.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to be competitive,” he said.
Prop. 50, the redrawing of California’s congressional districts approved by voters in November, increases Democrats’ chances of winning control of Congress next year, prompting Slavet to run.
Slaybet has lived in California for 30 years and currently resides in Palo Alto with his family. He previously worked in media, including a print magazine website with a visionary focus on how technology changes the world.
He then became a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, co-founding a site that connects companies with high-tech workers looking for short-term jobs. Leading luxury home website. He works as an executive at WeWork, a company that creates coworking spaces. He also serves on the board of directors of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
Slavet faces a difficult road to the Government House. California hasn’t elected a statewide Republican since 2006, and the state’s electorate has become more liberal since then. And two more prominent Republicans are in the race: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton.
Additionally, while Slavet praises the president’s record, he did not vote for Trump in the past three presidential elections.
“I think Trump is great. I think he’s a doer. I think he’ll get it done,” Slavet said. “I think America needed reform. We have a very calcified system of government spending and a lack of enforcement. So I think Mr. Trump did a very good thing.”
Mr. Slavet has more personal wealth than his Republican rival. But California voters have a long history of rejecting wealthy, self-funded candidates of either party. And then there are the more affluent people who are in this race or are gunning for it.
Billionaire Democratic climate warrior and hedge fund founder Tom Steyer has already poured $20 million into his campaign in recent days. Fellow billionaire Rick Caruso, who spent more than $104 million (much of it privately) in Los Angeles’ unsuccessful 2022 mayoral race, is considering whether to run for governor next year or for mayor again.
