A year ago, Ché 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.
So he announced his candidacy.
Over the past year, he’s traveled the state, attending campaign events. And he’s been featured on various podcasts and YouTube channels, many of them catering to a Christian audience, to outline his vision for California.
But voters may have noticed Ahn’s name doesn’t appear on the June 2 primary election ballot.
That’s 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.
So now he’s running as a write-in candidate.
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.
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.
“The 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,” the California Secretary of State’s Office said in an email.
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.
But to run as a write-in candidate? It’s even more of a long shot, he acknowledged during a recent interview.
But he’s staying in the race because, he said, he’s not a quitter. And, by continuing to campaign, he’s hoping to get more people – including evangelical Christians – registered to vote in order to grow the Republican Party and, in time, get more conservative leaders elected.
“I’m trying to raise up a new generation of Republicans to vote,” said Ahn, who runs a global network of evangelical churches.
He noted that Republicans make up just a quarter of registered voters in California. Meanwhile, roughly 45% of the state’s registered voters are Democrats, while another 23% have no party preference.
And being a write-in candidate means Ahn has his work cut out.
The logo on his campaign website now has the word “Write-in” above his name, and the site links to instructions on how to vote for a write-in candidate.
He’s 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.
And he continues to sell campaign T-shirts and hats and accept donations – though he said campaign contributions have fallen sharply since learning in March that his name would not be on the ballot.
Between Jan. 1 and April 18, Ahn raised just over $225,000, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state.
By comparison, the two Republican frontrunners in the governor’s 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.
Despite the challenges of running as a write-in candidate, Ahn sees value in remaining in the race.
Besides trying to grow the Republican base, he said he’s seeking “to bring about a spiritual awakening.”
“I am mobilizing new voters to pray for California,” he said.
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.
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.
He blames state regulations for driving up gas and electricity prices. In addition, he wants to see tax rates lowered in California.
“I’m in this to see California transform for the long term because I’m concerned about my 10 grandchildren and the legacy we’re leaving for them,” he said. “I don’t want them to be the ones to have to move out because they just can’t afford to live here.”