California Democratic leader urges weak gubernatorial hopefuls to bow out
Fearing the possibility of a Republican winning the governor’s race in California, state Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks on Tuesday called on his party’s candidates who do not have a viable path to victory to withdraw.
“It is imperative for every candidate to honestly evaluate the viability of their candidacy and campaign.” Hicks wrote an open letter To the politicians vying to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom. “I realize that my recommendations may be difficult for many people to consider and may even be viewed as overly harsh by some.”
Hicks did not name the Democrats she wanted to drop out of the race.
But even though the odds are relatively low, he said California cannot risk the election of a Republican as the next governor with President Trump in the White House.
“[S]There is much at stake for our nation, and many are counting on the leadership of California Democrats to stand up and speak out at this historic moment, Hicks wrote: “If a Democrat is not elected as our next Governor, California’s leadership on the world stage will be much more difficult.”
Hicks urged underdog Democrats to formally file to run for governor before the deadline ends Friday to ensure their names do not appear in the June primary.
Under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the June primary advance to the November general election, regardless of party.
With the top nine Democrats running, there are fears that candidates will split their own party’s votes, allowing the top two Republicans to finish first and second in the race. This happened even though Democrats’ registered voters outnumber Republicans in the state by nearly 2 to 1 and no GOP candidate has won a statewide election since 2006.
A contest between two Republicans in the November election would negatively impact the turnout of Democratic voters and could hurt the party’s candidates in key down-ballot races.
“The outcome would pose a real risk to winning essential congressional seats and jeopardize Democrats’ chances of taking back the House of Representatives, cutting Donald Trump’s term in half, and sparing our nation from the suffering that too many have endured since January 2025,” Hicks said in his letter. “We absolutely cannot let this happen.”
A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found five candidates leading the contest: former Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Eric Swalwell and hedge fund founder Tom Steyer, among Democrats, and conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, both Republicans. Hilton and Bianco have been ahead of all other candidates in other polls for the past few months.
Discussions about the need for some Democrats to drop out of the race took place last weekend at the California Democratic Party convention and as the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions began the endorsement process last week.
But one political thorny issue, as former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra noted at a candidate forum Monday evening, is that nearly all of the Democrats trailing in the polls are of color.
“By the way, there are people who want the candidates to drop out of the race,” he said at a meeting hosted by Equality California and the Los Angeles LGBT Center at the Renberg Theater in Hollywood. “Isn’t it interesting that the candidates they want to withdraw from the race are black candidates? So don’t take me there.”
When asked about its impact on black candidates, Hicks praised the field’s accomplishments.
“We have a lot of strong candidates. They have incredible stories and reflect the diversity of our party. However, there are some political realities to where we are right now,” he said in an interview. “I’m not calling on any particular candidate to move in one direction or another. I’m just calling on them to evaluate their campaigns and decide if they have a valid interest.” [path] and if they don’t, don’t file.
At the governor’s forum Monday night, Porter said he was concerned about the possibility of two Republicans finishing in the top two.
“I hear people tell me it could never happen, but everyone said the same about Trump,” he said at the forum. “And I look at how much damage we’ve suffered, and I think about all the political risks that people face every day; the risk of an immigrant leaving their home and walking on our streets, the risk of a transgender kid even trying to play sports in this state. And I don’t think we can take any more political risks.”
Times writer Phil Willon contributed to this report.
