Who is Ian Calderon, the Bitcoin Enthusiast Who Wants to Run California?

He is the eighth person to join the Democrats’ list for the 2026 election, when the current Governor, Gavin Newsom, will stand down.

Calderon, 39, said his focus will be on lowering costs for homes, groceries and gas, while also making Bitcoin part of California’s future. “My generation pays bills on our phones, we send money to each other with Venmo and we save in Bitcoin,” he said in a campaign video on X. 

His strategy to build on California’s technological heritage to position it as a global leader in cryptocurrency and blockchain innovation. The programme includes holding BTC on the state’s balance sheet and using crypto payments for state programs.

This position could well resonate with the state’s large crypto community and younger voters who want digital asset-friendly policies. 

But is this simply positioning or does Calderon really believe it?

Longstanding interest

He was the first Millennial member of the California Assembly when he was elected in 2012 aged 27. He served for three terms, until 2020, including being the Majority Leader for the second half of his time on the Assembly. 

He comes from a stable of politicians. His father was an Assembly Member and State Senator, as was one of his uncles; another uncle was an Assembly member. And his stepmother succeeded Calderon junior in the Assembly.

Both uncles, Ron and Tom, have spent time in prison after pleading guilty to corruption charges.

Calderon has long been an advocate for blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. In 2018, Calderon was instrumental in creating California’s Blockchain Working Group, with the remit of evaluating how best to use the technology, including analysis of the risks and benefits, leading to policy recommendations on digital assets. 

Since leaving the Assembly, he founded a lobbying business and has worked with the Satoshi Foundation to explore how to develop legislation that would make Bitcoin legal tender in California. 

Family appeal

When he stood down from the Assembly in 2020, he said it was to focus on his young family. And indeed his wife and children play prominent roles in his campaign collateral. His aim seems to be to appeal to families: He’s been “living in the real world, watching everyday life get harder for families like mine,” he said in his campaign video.

“The people running our government? They’re trying to use yesterday’s ideas to solve today’s problems and it isn’t working,” he added, laying out his platform for the incorporation of digital assets into state policy.

A long-shot?

Given how blue California is, winning the Democrat nomination is close to a guarantee of winning the Governorship. But it is a crowded field and Calderon does not yet appear to have the necessary fundraising in place to put up a strong fight. And his five-year absence from politics does not help because he does not have the same profile as some of his fellow candidates.

Those candidates include :

• Toni Atkins, former President pro tempore of the California State Senate
• Xavier Becerram former US Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Stephen Cloobeck, founder of Diamond Resorts
• Katie Porter, former member of the US House of Representatives
• Tony Thurmond, the incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles
• Betty Yee, California’s State Controller from 2015-23

However, Calderon is a Millennial who seems to believe in the potential of cryptocurrencies. Even if he doesn’t win, he will have made crypto an integral part of the conversation about California’s future.