Former President Barack Obama has suddenly surfaced as a candidate in a critical gubernatorial race.
But it’s not exactly what you think.
Voters in California will head to the polls to decide who will replace outgoing Democrat Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited.
There are a total of 61 candidates on the ballot for the California gubernatorial primary on June 2, including:
– Democratic Party: 24 candidates
– Republican Party: 12 candidates
– No Party Preference: 23 candidates
– Libertarian Party: 1 candidate
– Peace and Freedom Party: 1 candidate
On that list is a man named “Barack Obama.”
Barack D. Obama Shaw is a Democratic candidate for Governor of California who is running as a business owner and Army Reserve veteran.
He was born Cecil L. Shaw III, but legally changed his name in 2013 to honor the legacy of the former president. His current campaign platform focuses on increasing state funding for education and finding new solutions for the homelessness crisis.
Barack D. Obama Shaw is a Democratic candidate for Governor of California who is running as a business owner and Army Reserve veteran. He was born Cecil L. Shaw III but legally changed his name in 2013 to honor the legacy of the former president. His current campaign platform… pic.twitter.com/9XC6GPMMI7
— Hot Takes Nobody Asked For (@HotTakesNobody) May 6, 2026
Shaw describes himself as a “politician, musician and an international promoter of products and services that are the best in the world.”
“It’s great people who are running for governor. But if you don’t like those people, don’t vote for them. Vote for Barack D. Obama Shaw,” he says in one of his Instagram videos, where he has a following of only around 300.
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The Orange County Register recently posted its 2026 primary election questionnaire featuring Obama Shaw.
When asked what is a policy or project from the Newsom administration that you’d like to expand or continue, he responded with:
“I would like to continue the efforts of blocking the 5% billionaire tax because if we push them out of the state, that would create an enormous casm in the corporate tax, which is part of the state’s budget.”
A complete election profile for the “other” Barack Obama can be found here.