Matthew Chase Levy, Entrepreneur and Physicist, Enters California Governor's Race

California For A Reason: a campaign to make life more affordable, strengthen schools, and secure California’s energy future.

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — California entrepreneur and internationally recognized scientist Matthew Chase Levy today announced his candidacy for Governor of California, offering voters a fresh alternative to career politicians. As founder of NobleAI, a science-based AI company accelerating breakthroughs in chemistry, materials, and energy, and AE Blue Capital, a venture firm investing in next-generation clean energy including fusion, Levy is focused on making life more affordable, strengthening schools, and securing California’s energy future.

His campaign, California For A Reason, rests on four core commitments:

Make life more affordable – Tackling the high cost of living, from housing and groceries to skyrocketing energy bills.
Build a more competitive workforce – Expanding access to community college, vocational training, and skills programs that prepare Californians for high-paying jobs of the future.
Fix what people rely on every day – Strengthening public schools, improving public safety, and modernizing transportation so families can get to work, school, and home on time.
Secure a reliable, clean energy future – Investing in grid resilience and advanced technologies like fusion to power growth without leaving families or businesses behind.

Through NobleAI, Levy has driven practical AI solutions that help scientists and engineers solve complex real-world challenges faster – delivering innovations already transforming chemistry, materials discovery, and sustainable energy. At AE Blue Capital, he backs fusion and other advanced clean-energy technologies critical to addressing California’s rising energy costs, grid reliability issues, and long-term decarbonization goals. Together, these experiences will drive practical solutions to societal problems, expand employment and maintain California’s preeminent role as a world leader in harnessing science for the benefit of all Californians.

Levy’s career blends deep technical expertise with real-world impact. He earned his B.A. from UCLA and his Master’s and Ph.D. in physics from Rice University. While completing his doctorate, he worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on U.S. strategic security issues. This led to him becoming the first American physicist awarded the Isaac Newton International Fellowship by the Royal Society at Oxford University. Early international experience in Tokyo – before and during his UCLA years – combined with his work in the UK, gives him a unique perspective on global innovation and the challenges facing California families.

“I’m not a professional politician,” Levy said. “I’m a family man from Oakland who is deeply worried about whether families can afford to stay here or may have to leave, whether our kids’ schools are getting stronger or falling behind, and whether our state is planning for the future or simply reacting to the next news headline. I’ve spent my career building companies, solving hard problems, and thinking long-term. That’s the common-sense approach California needs in Sacramento.”

The campaign plans to travel statewide the week of February 23 to meet with voters, small business owners, educators, and community leaders as part of the campaign’s initial listening tour.

“Matthew is a pragmatic problem-solver who excels at navigating tough trade-offs – he has the exact temperament required to tackle housing, education, public safety, and energy reliability,” said former Mayor of Woodside, CA, Deborah Cody Gordon.

Levy lives in Oakland with his wife Debbie Senesky, a Stanford professor, and her 12-year-old daughter.

About Matthew Chase Levy: Matthew Chase Levy is a California-based entrepreneur, internationally recognized scientist, and political outsider running for Governor. He is the founder of NobleAI, a Science-Based AI platform that accelerates discovery and innovation in chemistry, materials, and energy sectors, and AE Blue Capital, a venture firm focused on advanced clean-energy technologies including fusion for energy security.

Levy holds a B.A. from UCLA and Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Rice University. He conducted research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on U.S. strategic security and was the first American physicist to receive the Isaac Newton International Fellowship from the Royal Society at Oxford. Levy is a Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford; a Trustee of The Washington Institute; and serves on the Finance Committee for the Mayor of Oakland and former Congresswoman Barbara Lee. He resides in Oakland with his wife Debbie Senesky, a Stanford professor, and her 12-year-old daughter.

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