Among the more than 60 candidates crowding California's gubernatorial primary ballot this Tuesday is a man from Alameda who goes by Barack D. Obama Shaw, a name he chose for himself more than a decade ago. He legally changed it from Cecil Shaw III while serving in the U.S. Army Reserve, and now he wants voters to associate him with the former president whose portrait once hung on the wall when he stood at attention.
He is not, to be clear, the 44th president of the United States. But he'd like you to think of that guy when you see the ballot.
California's jungle primary sends the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, to the November general election. In a field this large, with billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, and Republican commentator Steve Hilton among the better-known names, Obama Shaw is running far behind the leaders. The most recent polling, as USA TODAY reported, shows Becerra leading the crowded pack. Obama Shaw does not appear to be a factor in the horse race.
But his candidacy tells you something about the state of California politics, and about the power of a name that still moves Democratic voters years after its owner left office.
Obama Shaw's campaign website says he served in the Army Reserve from 2008 to 2016. During that period, he legally changed his name from Cecil Shaw III. The timing matters: Barack Obama was either running for president or sitting in the Oval Office for the entirety of that service window.
In remarks to Spectrum News, Obama Shaw explained his reasoning in terms that sounded more like fan devotion than political philosophy.
"When I would stand to attention... and his (Barack Obama's) picture was on the wall and I was proud. He made it happen that a person like me could become president."
He went further, describing the former president's effect on him as transformational.
"Barack Obama brought a hope into the world that I had never seen or experienced before."
That hope, Obama Shaw said, "was the catalyst that had me legally change my name because I believe that people today need that same type of hope." He framed himself not as a rival to the former president's legacy but as a kind of tribute act.
"Barack Obama is the superhero. I'm the guy wearing his suit, that's me. I'm the one who has the privilege that carries that banner around."
The former president Barack Obama, who remains the most prominent figure on the Democratic marquee, has not commented on the candidacy or the name borrowing.
Obama Shaw is not a complete political unknown in his corner of the East Bay. He hosts a local show called Alameda's Got Talent and teaches children to play music. He credits his musical ability to his grandfather, gospel artist Bro. Cecil Shaw Sr., who was mentioned in the Ray Charles autobiography "Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story" and in the 2004 biographical film about Ray Charles, at least according to Obama Shaw's campaign website.
His platform, such as it is, touches the standard California crisis points: solving homelessness, building more housing, and cutting unnecessary spending. Those are reasonable goals. They are also the kind of vague promises that dozens of candidates across the political spectrum make in every California cycle without offering a credible path to execution.
Obama Shaw told reporters his community involvement inspired his gubernatorial run. He also said he intends to carry the Obama name into elections beyond this week, though he did not specify which office or which year.
A primary with more than 60 names on the ballot is not a sign of a healthy political ecosystem. It is a sign of a system where the barriers to entry are low, the electorate is fragmented, and name recognition can matter more than substance. California's jungle primary format, where all candidates compete on a single ballot and the top two advance regardless of party, was designed to encourage moderation and cross-party appeal. In practice, it often produces chaos at the primary stage and narrow, low-turnout victories.
The fact that Barack Obama's post-presidency political activism has kept his brand so potent that a man would legally adopt his name to run for governor tells you how deep the cult of personality runs in Democratic politics. It is not a policy legacy being invoked here. It is a feeling, "hope," as Obama Shaw puts it, detached from any specific governing result.
Meanwhile, the serious contenders in the race illustrate California's leftward tilt. Becerra, a former attorney general who went on to run HHS under the Biden administration, leads the field. Steyer, who spent hundreds of millions on climate activism and his own failed 2020 presidential bid, is in the mix. Steve Hilton, the conservative commentator, represents one of the few right-of-center voices with any measurable support.
None of this changes the fundamental dynamic: California remains a one-party state in practice, and the Obama brand still carries weight in Democratic circles even when it is worn by someone with no connection to the original.
Obama Shaw's candidacy is a long shot by any measure. He lacks the funding, the institutional backing, and the polling numbers to threaten the frontrunners. But his presence on the ballot raises a question California's system has never adequately answered: what happens when the primary mechanism rewards familiarity over qualification?
In a field of 60-plus candidates, most voters will scan the ballot quickly. A name like "Barack Obama Shaw" is designed to catch the eye. Whether it catches enough eyes to matter on Tuesday is doubtful. But the strategy, borrowing a famous name, wrapping yourself in someone else's legacy, and hoping the association does the work your résumé cannot, is not unique to this one candidate. It is a feature of a political culture that runs on celebrity, brand loyalty, and emotional attachment rather than policy results.
Obama Shaw himself seems to understand the dynamic. He described the former president as a "superhero" and himself as the man wearing the suit. That is an honest framing, at least. He is not claiming to be Barack Obama. He is claiming the right to remind you of him.
The broader Obama family continues to shape Democratic politics in ways large and small. Michelle Obama's public commentary on voters and elections keeps the family name in the national conversation, and the former president's endorsements remain among the most sought-after prizes in the party.
Whether any of that translates into votes for a man from Alameda who teaches kids music and hosts a local talent show is another matter entirely.
California voters head to the polls Tuesday to winnow the field to two. The smart money says Becerra and one of the other major candidates will advance. Obama Shaw will almost certainly not be among them.
But his candidacy, a legal name change, a borrowed brand, a thin platform, and a field so crowded that no one can keep track, is a small, sharp portrait of what California elections have become. The state that once set the national standard for governance now produces primaries that look more like open auditions than serious contests.
When you can legally rename yourself after a former president and land on a gubernatorial ballot, the system isn't selecting for leaders. It's selecting for marketers.