LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Fearful that an election quirk could result in heavily Democratic California installing a Republican as its next governor, a top Democrat on Tuesday sent his party鈥檚 lagging candidates a blunt message: Get out of the race.
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks warned in a statement that for all the state鈥檚 liberal bona fides it was possible that a large Democratic field could carve up the party鈥檚 primary vote into small fractions and allow only two Republican candidates to advance to the November election. The all-GOP general election is possible under California’s unusual top-two primary system, which puts all candidates on one ballot and only the top two vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party.
Though a longshot, such an outcome could have major fallout beyond losing the governorship for the first time in 16 years, Hicks said. A Democratic vacancy at the top of the ticket in November could depress turnout at a time when the party is trying to regain control of the U.S. House to blunt President Donald Trump’s agenda in Washington.
鈥淚 recognize my suggestions are hard for many to contemplate and may be even viewed as overly harsh,鈥� Hicks wrote. The letter did not name names but it appeared to be targeting a handful of candidates who have hovered in the single digits in polling, including several non-white candidates.
The response from trailing candidates was swift. State schools superintendent Tony Thurmond, who is Black, said the party is 鈥渆ssentially telling every candidate of color … to drop out.鈥� He vowed to stay in the race.
鈥淎ren鈥檛 we supposed to be the party who embraces democracy?鈥� he said in a video posted to the social platform X.
Another candidate, former state controller Betty Yee, a daughter of Chinese immigrant parents, didn鈥檛 mention Hicks鈥� statement in an announcement that she would be filing paperwork Tuesday to officially set her candidacy in motion. The campaign of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, another Democrat in the race, said 鈥渧oters choose the next governor, not political gatekeepers.鈥�
A wide-open field
Hicks’ unusual intervention in the contest comes after about the possibility of seeing two Republicans on the top of the ballot in November. The leading GOP candidates are and , both supporters of Trump.
This election marks the first time since voters approved the state’s 鈥� 鈥� primary system more than a decade ago that there鈥檚 been a governor鈥檚 race with no clear frontrunner, luring a flood of Democrats into the contest.
That list includes current and former members of Congress, Katie Porter, Rep. Eric Swalwell and Xavier Becerra, who later served as the Biden administration鈥檚 top health official; billionaire Tom Steyer; former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Ian Calderon, a former majority leader in the state Assembly, along with Thurmond, Yee and Mahan.
Recent polling by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found the field had broken into two distinct groups, with Hilton, Porter, Bianco, Swalwell and Steyer in close competition, and the other candidates trailing behind them.
Gov. 海角社区appom, who has not made an endorsement in the race, echoed Hicks’ concern for a potential Democratic disaster. 海角社区appom said of Hicks’ letter, 鈥淚鈥檒l be candid with you. My first reaction is: I get why he sent it. There is some concern.”
It also prompted Democratic infighting. Villaraigosa’s campaign issued a statement calling on Becerra to drop out, saying it would reduce the chances of a GOP sweep. Both are Latinos and rivals for support in that community.
Some Democrats agree
Hicks won a nod of support from Democratic strategist Drexel Heard II, former executive director of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, who said in a text that 鈥渁ny party’s role and mission has always been to shepherd the best candidates and then win the race.鈥�
A GOP upset in California would reverberate across the nation’s political landscape. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1 statewide. Democrats also dominate the legislature, where Republicans have been reduced to powerless spectators.
Alarm for Democrats increased further after Silicon Valley entrepreneur and from the race. That will allow conservative support to further consolidate behind the two leading candidates, Bianco and Hilton.
Hicks argued that if Democratic candidates do not see a 鈥渧iable path鈥� to November, they should drop out.
Democratic strategist Paul Mitchell has been using available polling data to run simulations to assess the likelihood of a twin GOP breakthrough in the June 2 primary. With Slavet out of the race, the chance of an all-GOP ticket in November has reached 25%, he said.
In a primary, the Democrats are expected to divide roughly 60% of the vote, Republicans, 40%.
While the Democratic vote will be scattered in a large field, 鈥淩epublicans are consolidating their vote behind two candidates,鈥� Mitchell said. Slavet’s withdrawal 鈥渏ust helps clarify the concern Democrats have.鈥�
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