California Democrats Could Face Something That Hasn’t Happened in Over 20 Years — And They’re Panicking
Jack
California is the bluest state in America. Democrats have run it for decades. They control every statewide office, dominate the legislature, and haven’t lost a governor’s race since 2006.
Right now, they are genuinely terrified of losing the next one.
After Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the governor’s race last week — following multiple sexual assault allegations — the California Democratic Party is staring at a scenario nobody thought was possible: being completely shut out of the November general election.
Here’s how California works. The state uses a top-two primary system — all candidates from all parties compete together on June 2, and only the top two vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party. With eight Democrats dividing up the vote and two Republicans running strong — Steve Hilton (Trump-endorsed) and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — there is a real chance that both November spots go to Republicans. No Democrat makes it to the general. In the most Democratic state in the country.
The panic is real. Take a look:
Governor Gavin Newsom — the outgoing governor who has been eyeing a national political future — is now reportedly in a “marathon of calls and meetings” trying to figure out what to do. His problem is that he doesn’t love any of the remaining Democratic candidates.
According to CNN’s reporting, Newsom is worried Tom Steyer would be “too all over the place on positions and management to effectively run the state.” He worries Katie Porter would “drive business out” of California. He has tensions with Antonio Villaraigosa from their 2018 primary battle. He’s “not a fan” of Matt Mahan, who frequently criticized him publicly. And he’s unhappy with how Xavier Becerra performed as attorney general.
In other words: Newsom hates his options, but he’s running out of time. Mail-in ballots go out in weeks. And today — April 15 — was the California Democratic Party’s own deadline for struggling candidates without “meaningful progress” to drop out.