Wagner seeks California secretary of state seat Nov. 3

Donald P. Wagner, a Republican and Orange County Board of Supervisors member, is running for California secretary of state in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. He faces Shirley Weber, a Democrat.

Wagner has said the office should be nonpartisan and focused on election security, faster vote counting and cleaning up voter rolls, according to his candidate statement in the Official Voter Information Guide.

Candidate information

Party: Republican
Residence: Irvine, California
Born: Dec. 3, 1960, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Education: Bachelor's degree in English, University of California, Los Angeles; juris doctor, University of California, Hastings College of Law (1987)
Family: Married to Megan Wagner, an Orange County Superior Court judge. They have three children.

Experience and public service

Wagner has served as supervisor for District 3 on the Orange County Board of Supervisors since March 2019 and chaired the board from January 2023 to January 2025, according to his Wikipedia entry.

Before joining the board, Wagner served as mayor of Irvine from December 2016 to March 2019. He represented a district in the California State Assembly from December 2010 to November 2016. Earlier, he served as a trustee and board president of the South Orange County Community College District, starting in 1998.

Wagner practiced law in Orange County from 1987 to 1998 and also served as a judge pro tempore in Orange County Superior Court, according to BallotReady. His civic roles include founding president of the Orange County chapter of the Federalist Society and president of the American Lung Association of Orange County.

On the issues

Election integrity: Wagner said he supports requiring photo ID at the polls. He said thirty-six states and most democratic nations require photo ID, and California does not, leaving election security weak. He pledged to clean up voter rolls, saying the state wastes millions mailing ballots to people who have moved or died.

Vote counting: Wagner said he would speed up vote counting so California announces results on election night, rather than taking more than a month.

Government reform: Wagner said the secretary of state's office should be nonpartisan, "representing the will of the people, not answering to Sacramento political machines." He said the office's business division should be small-business friendly, according to his campaign website.

Voter access: Wagner said he would make sure every eligible voter can participate while protecting election security by ensuring only eligible voters cast ballots.