CA Gov Race a Cluster to the End and State Dem Leaders Are Spazzing

BWAHAHAhahaha!!!!

Now THIS is a hoot.

So here's how this elect-the-next-governor thing works in the Golden State. The primary (June 2 this year) is an open jungle-style one, and the top two finishers go on to the general election in Novmeber

Sometimes it can be a scrap, but normally, everyone among the handful of earnest candidates is relatively well-behaved.

This year is kind of different. There are at least nine (!) Democrats battling two Republicans for that coveted top pair of finishing spots, and among those Democrats, there seems to be a uniform number of oversized egos.

So instead of a well-ordered primary season when an individual or two can make their mark, it has become...

EVERYBODY IN THE POOL!

Understandably, this seething, teeming, scheming mass of unlikeable, forgettable, off-putting, and generally charmless personalities has CA Democratic leaders in a tizzy.

It’s crazy how California has 40 million people — 65% of which are Democrats — and two guys who got laughed out of the 2020 presidential primary is the best they can come up with. https://t.co/ZR02JCNCRe

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) February 21, 2026

They have been working hard to get the field winnowed down a bit, so they can knock the rough edges off of some of these cretins in hopes of finding one that can rise about the mediocrities surrounding them and vie for those top slots with the Republican candidates.

I hope a disgruntled staffer is secretly recording when the democrats call Katie Porter and tell her to drop out of the race for governor in California. https://t.co/PZOW4wwbWL

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) March 5, 2026

The Republican candidates who are, sadly enough, making it difficult for the opposition pack by being affable, personable, and intelligent. 

It's a daunting contrast to overcome, and the chair of the state Democratic Party is bluntly telling candidates who are non-viable, without naming names, to 'drop out' for the sake of the party.

And to spare Democrats from being completely locked out of the race for November.

Democrats running for governor who don’t stand a real chance of winning should drop out ahead of Friday’s filing deadline for candidates, the head of the California Democratic Party said.

Urging candidates to “honestly assess” their chances, California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks underscored that Democrats should avoid splitting the vote and creating a situation — however low the odds — where two Republicans might advance to the general election while Democrats get locked out.

DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN

The thing is, Democrats aren't really into self-sacrifice on that level - I mean, asking them to size down a latte is almost a war crime - and, consequently, no one is paying any attention to him.

Despite a plea by the head of their state party for nonviable Democratic candidates running for governor to drop out now, none of the nine better-known Democrats in the race had suspended their campaign as of Wednesday afternoon.

In fact, the majority indicated their intention to remain in the race — some have even filed — even after California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks penned an open letter Tuesday urging candidates to “honestly assess” their chances of winning. Those without a real shot at advancing to the November general election, Hicks suggested, should exit the contest before a looming filing deadline.

Some of the lesser lights got downright testy about the nerve of this guy.

...Former Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire environmental advocate Tom Steyer and Rep. Eric Swalwell frequently poll ahead of their fellow Democrats in the race, though Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco are in the mix to land in the top two spots as well. And no one has an overwhelming lead in polling at this stage of the race.

Also running as Democrats, but with lower poll numbers, are former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state Controller Betty Yee.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, another Democrat, announced his candidacy at the end of January, much later than the others. Still, he has raised millions of dollars for his campaign from deep-pocketed Silicon Valley leaders, and his campaign has struck a confident tone.

“Voters choose the next governor, not political gatekeepers,” Mahan’s campaign said this week.

Meanwhile, other candidates who have been lagging in poll numbers made clear that, as of now, they are not going anywhere.

Thurmond criticized the suggestion that lower-polling candidates should exit the race.

Only one fellow so far has taken the hint, while other candidates have taken to telling each other to take a hike for the good of the party's chances.

How California Democratic candidates could sabotage their party’s race for governor

...At least one Democrat is bowing out: Former state Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon withdrew from the race Thursday and endorsed Bay Area U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell.

...Meanwhile, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa singled out former state attorney general Xavier Becerra, a fellow Latino candidate, to drop out under the rationale that doing so would reduce the chances of two Republicans advancing. Becerra responded on social media that Villaraigosa had never won statewide office before, but “I have—and I’ll do it again.”

Oooh! So catty - meeYOW!

The state schools superintendent pulled the you-know-what card in so many words on the state chair, oh, yes, he did.

...Tony Thurmond, the state schools superintendent, who is Black, quickly criticized Mr. Hicks for “essentially telling every candidate of color” to drop out, while seeming to support the continuance of the three white Democrats who are at the top of the polls.

Hilariously, for ONCE a state Republican Party is on top of the Dem chaos and making hay of it...

...California Republicans seemed to revel in all of it, begging the sparring Democrats to stay in the race.

...capitalizing on every knife wound the Dems give each other and seeming to thoroughly enjoy every minute of it.

...Republicans seized on the situation. They spliced Mr. Thurmond’s video into a new message that featured Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party and the first Black woman to hold the position. She could barely contain her glee as she said that the state Democratic Party was “ordering every candidate of color to drop out for your three establishment favorites.”

“Classic,” Ms. Rankin said in the video. “Democrats don’t want democracy; they want their kings.”

As you can imagine, there is much handwringing and wailing in the media, who see their chances of hanging on to California's gubernatorial throne being imperiled by egos. Headlines seem to be a modern version of urging candidates to fall on their swords.

The constant polling leads for the Republican candidates only heightens the sense of panic building. Hilton and Bianco swap places and spots, but are never out of the top three.

CALIFORNIA POLL: Governor - top 2 advance (Villaraigosa Dem internal)

🟥 Chad Bianco: 15%
🟥 Steve Hilton: 15%
🟦 Eric Swalwell: 14%
🟦 Katie Porter: 13%
🟦 Tom Steyer: 10%
🟦 A. Villaraigosa: 7%
🟦 Xavier Becerra: 5%
🟦 Betty Yee: 2%
🟦 Thurmond: 1%

1/22-28 (released today) |… pic.twitter.com/735rjV8cQr

— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) March 4, 2026

Too bad, suckers. You can beg all you want.

👏 THANK YOU @BettyYeeforCA (whoever you are) for filing to run for Governor of California as a Democrat. I encourage every Democrat in the state to follow her lead & run as well. We need as MANY Democrats to declare & run!

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!! https://t.co/H2RgCmPsuI

— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) March 5, 2026

But Betty Yee's not going anywhere. She's on a mission.

SQUEEE!!!!!!

Thank you, Betty!

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