The Obama last name is set to make a political return in California. Well, kind of.
Barack D. Obama Shaw is just one of the more than 60 candidates running in California’s gubernatorial primary this week. Obama Shaw legally changed his name from Cecil Shaw III more than a decade ago while in the U.S. Army Reserve, which he served in from 2008 to 2016, according to his campaign website.
“When I would stand to attention… and his (Barack Obama’s) picture was on the wall and I was proud,” he recently told Spectrum News. “He made it happen that a person like me could become president.”
According to his campaign website, Obama Shaw admired the former president because “Barack Obama brought a hope into the world that I had never seen or experienced before.” He added that the former president “was the catalyst that had me legally change my name because I believe that people today need that same type of hope.”
Obama Shaw is also an active member of his community, hosting the show Alameda’s Got Talent and teaching local children to play music. He credits his musical talents to his grandfather, gospel artist Bro. Cecil Shaw Sr., who was mentioned in the Ray Charles autobiography “Brother Ray: Ray Charles’ Own Story and the 2004 “Ray Charles” film, according to the campaign website.
While speaking with Spectrum News, Obama Shaw said his involvement in the community inspired his run for California governor, with a platform that includes solving the homelessness crisis, building more housing, and cutting unnecessary spending.
Despite running far behind other candidates like billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, the Alameda, California, candidate says he intends to carry the Obama name to elections well beyond this week.
“Barack Obama is the superhero. I’m the guy wearing his suit, that’s me,” Obama Shaw told Spectrum News. “I’m the one who has the privilege that carries that banner around.”
California’s gubernatorial primary: Three names have emerged in crowded field
When is the governor’s primary election in California?
California’s gubernatorial primary election is Tuesday, June 2.
In the most recent polling, Becerra leads a crowded field over candidates like fellow Democrat Steyer and Republican conservative commentator Steve Hilton.
Under California’s “jungle” primary rules, the top two candidates, regardless of their political affiliation, advance to November’s general election.
Contributing: Terry Collins, Daniella Segura, and Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Barack Obama Shaw is running to become California’s next governor
