Local resident joins the race for California state controller

Carmel Valley resident Herb Morgan is putting his name on the ballot for California state controller.

The longtime investment professional pulled papers to run for the office and is now campaigning across the state and fundraising ahead of the June 2, 2026 primary. Morgan is so far the only republican in the race with two democrats, including the incumbent Malia Cohen. The top two candidates in the primary will move on to the general election in November 2026.

Morgan, who has 38 years of experience in investment and financial services, is currently a senior managing director and chief investment officer at Cantor Fitzgerald.

His stated campaign priorities are to audit the state’s “wasteful spending” and to provide accountability through “radical transparency”. To demonstrate that transparency, Morgan believes he is the first political candidate in the country’s history to publish every campaign financial transaction on a real-time blockchain ledger, made available to the public online with daily updates.

The online blockchain at herbmorganonchain.com currently lists $11,605 in campaign funds and a breakdown of all transactions.

“Politicians love to talk about transparency. I’m actually doing it. Every dollar in and out of my campaign is recorded on-chain, permanently. This is the model for how I’ll run the Controller’s office,” Morgan said in a news release. “If you take taxpayer money, you should report how you spend it — every day. If you won’t, you’ve got something to hide. And the people of California won’t stand for that.”

To learn more about Morgan and his campaign, visit herbmorgan.com.