With Swalwell exit, California governor’s race is starting anew

SACRAMENTO — Eric Swalwell is out of the California gubernatorial race and Congress, spending time with his family as they say allegations of rape and sexual abuse. This could be considered good news for the large number of Democrats remaining in the race and even the two Republicans currently near the top of the polls.

But this mixed campaign season has clearly failed to capture the imagination of voters. This despite a sex scandal Billionaire who spends his millionsa dark horse expense technology bro millions, A controversy in which the invitations were so controversial that the event was canceled and a sheriff seized the ballots in a botched MAGA spoof game. (President Trump eventually supported his opponent.)

After all this, you’d think Californians would care about this, at least for show.

But they don’t. At least not yet.

So is it “Undecided” leader will remain Are we in the race until voters have to fill out ballots? Even Republicans, whose top choices are Trump-backed Steve Hilton and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco, can’t decide.

Times columnists Anita Chabria and Mark Z. Barabak consider why the race is so messy, who benefits from the Swalwell boom, whether any of these candidates will be excited, and what it all means for California’s future.

Kabriya: We’re less than 50 days away from the June 2 primary, and somehow this race continues to be both boring and unpredictable.

There’s plenty of talk about whether the two remaining leading Democratic candidates, former Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire investor Tom Steyer, will win over Swalwell’s supporters, or whether a second-tier candidate like San José Mayor Matt Mahan, a former state attorney, will be chosen. Gen. Xavier Becerra or former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa could nearly rise from the dead in a surprise ascension.

With such a short term and candidates who have already proven their lack of charisma, I worry that what happens next will really be about money, which Steyer and Mahan are. Mahan is said to already have tech industry supporters lining up millions of dollars in ad buys to have his name and image hammered into our consciousness these last days, like a breakfast cereal we didn’t know we wanted to buy.

Ditto Steyeryet it has a much higher profile and receives support from many major unions.

Are you thinking about this? money will rule the finish line Does this or any of the other candidates stand a chance through sheer determination?

Barabak: Let’s be realistic.

If Tom Steyer were an idiot named Tom Steinway without a huge fortune to back up his political ambitions, he wouldn’t be even remotely in the race, nor would he even be talked about as a front-runner. Steyer has consumed the equivalent of a small country’s GDP and still can’t get over 15% in the polls.

That’s not exactly the sound of support, despite all he’s managed to benefit from through his wealth.

California has a long history of rejecting moneybag candidates. In fact, no one has ever been elected governor. However, we’ve never seen a contest like this before — and that was before Swalwell’s candidacy went up in obscene smoke.

The closest parallel—in the absence of the aforementioned self-immolation—was in 1998. Voters weren’t crazy about the two leading candidates, including a rich guy who blew up TV ads with a fire hose, so they went for the colorless guy running far behind the pack. (And yes, dear reader, Gray Davis was eventually recalled, but that was long after the fact.)

There’s a saying in Iowa about the presidential caucuses. The secret is to organize, organize, organize and finally warm up. Frankly, California is not the kind of state where you can make money by owning a million and one coffee shops. But prepare the basic principle, then trust timing and good fortune, it may apply here too.

Who could this be? Mahan’s sudden outpouring of money doesn’t hurt. But your guess is as good as mine.

Kabria: The thing about organizing for Democrats is that most of this work is done by labor unions. They serve people, phone banks, door knockers. California Labor Federation approved this time basically everyone (Swalwell, Steyer, Villaraigosa, and Porter) gave no advantage to any of the Democratic candidates.

In a rare move, the California Federation of Labor and the California Service Employees International Union, like other unions, withdrew their support for Swalwell after these allegations emerged. But the workforce is divided among the other candidates (although Steyer appears to be winning over the unions), which is a real problem when it comes to this kind of organizing.

What worries me about money having even more influence this time around is the division of real people’s power.

But there is also the unknown. There are rumors floating around the internet that a famous or powerful contestant (Kamala? Someone famous?) may organize a last-minute entry campaign. Although state law no longer allows participation in the general election, there is a very small window left for the primary. What are you thinking? Could someone new emerge and excite voters enough to cheat?

Barabak: Here’s Steve Cloobeck.

You’re probably asking who?

He is a wealthy real estate developer who dropped out of the race in November after a yearlong campaign of unspoken campaigning. After coming out, he enthusiastically endorsed his close friend Eric Swalwell.

Speaking with our colleague Seema Mehta, Cloobeck said he wishes the Legislature could amend the state Constitution so he could re-enter the governor’s race; This, along with President Trump comparing himself to Jesus, is a delusion.

Seriously, political gossips hate a vacuum, so they fill it with all kinds of fantasy scenarios where candidates get on white horses and save us from… what exactly?

I am one of the rare voices arguing that this governorship race is not boring at all. It would be boring if Kamala Harris held the lead for the Democratic nomination and people speculated about whether anyone could stop her. While this group of candidates won’t be sending a laser light dance into the dark sky, there are still plenty of highly talented people in the running, unless you’re looking for someone to entertain and/or offer a distraction and diversion to California for four years.

And we saw what putting a reality TV star in the White House did for us.

Kabria: At the end of the day, or at least at the end of election day, it’s a matter of who do we trust with the future of California? After all, that’s why this race has become such a mess; No candidate, Republican or Democratic, has offered a vision inspiring enough to make voters confident in them for the next four or eight years.

In my opinion, this is the real failure. If it were laced with reliability and competence, I don’t think voters would mind being boring at all.

I agree with you that we don’t need another reality star in any elected office. And more than one of these candidates has the skills to govern the state. But in an age dominated by deceit, arrogance and ostentatious incompetence, voters want someone they feel they can trust.

So far, none of the candidates have been able to provide the sense of confidence that comes with campaigning as a public servant rather than a thirsty candidate hoping for a rose.

So either someone steps up and wins the rose, or the rose ends up in the top two least-worst. The June primaries keep her secrets for now.

Barabak: Do you know me; Someone to always look on the bright side!

If you’re a Republican, the bright side is that the chances of Bianco and Hilton taking both spots on June 2 are remote, but not impossible. That means he’ll have one of two spots in the governor’s office come January, despite California’s overwhelmingly Democratic tilt.

The bright side for a Californian like me who is not an independent voter and political warrior but cares deeply about my home state: At least people are finally paying attention to the governor’s race.

So dive in! You have less than seven weeks to decide.