{"id":4858,"date":"2026-05-11T23:01:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T23:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=4858"},"modified":"2026-05-11T23:01:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T23:01:27","slug":"a-pasadena-pastor-running-for-california-governor-didnt-qualify-for-the-ballot-how-and-why-hes-still-campaigning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=4858","title":{"rendered":"A Pasadena pastor running for California governor didn\u2019t qualify for the ballot. How \u2014 and why \u2014 he\u2019s still campaigning"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A year ago, Ch\u00e9 Ahn, the senior pastor at Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena who sued the state over COVID-related lockdowns during the first year of the pandemic, said he felt called by God to run for governor of California.<\/p>\n

Read more Alabama attorney general announces civil probe of Southern Poverty Law Center<\/a><\/p>\n

So he announced his candidacy.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, he\u2019s traveled the state, attending campaign events. And he\u2019s been featured on various podcasts and YouTube channels, many of them catering to a Christian audience, to outline his vision for California.<\/p>\n

But voters may have noticed Ahn\u2019s name doesn\u2019t appear on the June 2 primary election ballot.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because he missed a deadline to submit mandatory copies of tax returns as part of his application for candidacy, thus disqualifying him from having his name on the ballot, he said.<\/p>\n

So now he\u2019s running as a write-in candidate.<\/p>\n

Individuals planning to run as a write-in candidate for state office have until May 19 to file their paperwork. The secretary of state is expected to release a list of certified write-in candidates on May 22.<\/p>\n

As far as campaigning and fundraising, write-in candidates are governed by the same rules that apply to candidates whose names appear on the ballot.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe Political Reform Act does not differentiate between write-in candidates and others. Write-in candidates are subject to the same rules and reporting requirements as others,\u201d the California Secretary of State\u2019s Office said in an email.<\/p>\n

With several dozen people running to be the next governor of California, Ahn, a Republican who supports President Donald Trump, knew his chances of winning were slim to start with.<\/p>\n

But to run as a write-in candidate? It\u2019s even more of a long shot, he acknowledged during a recent interview.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s staying in the race because, he said, he\u2019s not a quitter. And, by continuing to campaign, he\u2019s hoping to get more people \u2013 including evangelical Christians \u2013 registered to vote in order to grow the Republican Party and, in time, get more conservative leaders elected.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to raise up a new generation of Republicans to vote,\u201d said Ahn, who runs a global\u00a0network of evangelical churches.<\/p>\n

He noted that in California. Meanwhile, roughly 45% of the state\u2019s registered voters are Democrats, while another 23% have no party preference.<\/p>\n

Read more Arcadia mayor, charged with acting as Chinese agent, resigns<\/a><\/p>\n

And being a write-in candidate means Ahn has his work cut out.<\/p>\n

The logo on his campaign website now has the word \u201cWrite-in\u201d above his name, and the site links to instructions on how to vote for a write-in candidate.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s still attending campaign events, including one hosted by a supporter in Altadena late last month, where he shared his vision for the state with attendees.<\/p>\n

And he continues to sell campaign T-shirts and hats and accept donations \u2013 though he said campaign contributions have fallen sharply since learning in March that his name would not be on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Between Jan. 1 and April 18, Ahn raised just over $225,000, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state.<\/p>\n

By comparison, the two Republican frontrunners in the governor\u2019s race raised substantially more during the same period. Political commentator Steve Hilton received over $4.1 million in contributions, while Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco raised more than $1.5 million, according to campaign finance records.<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges of running as a write-in candidate, Ahn\u00a0sees value in remaining in the race.<\/p>\n

Besides trying to grow the Republican base, he said he\u2019s seeking \u201cto bring about a spiritual awakening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am mobilizing new voters to pray for California,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ahn said Californians suffer from being over-regulated by the government, which has contributed to higher costs of living and doing business in the state as well as policies that, as he sees it, lack common sense.<\/p>\n

For example, he said the state should allow more oil production in California rather than import petroleum, which, he said, is more costly and results in more air pollution because tankers are used to transport the oil from other countries.<\/p>\n

He blames state regulations for driving up gas and electricity prices. In addition, he wants to see tax rates lowered in California.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in this to see California transform for the long term because I\u2019m concerned about my 10 grandchildren and the legacy we\u2019re leaving for them,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want them to be the ones to have to move out because they just can\u2019t afford to live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more The MD-11 cargo planes involved in last fall\u2019s deadly UPS crash in Louisville return to the air<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m trying to raise up a new generation of Republicans to vote,\u201d says Pastor Ch\u00e9 Ahn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA Pasadena pastor running for California governor didn\u2019t qualify for the ballot. 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