California Democrats defy call from party to abandon crowded race: ‘Voters choose the next governor’
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- California’s Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks urged gubernatorial candidates without a “viable path” to drop out to avoid splitting the vote and risking two Republicans advancing to the November election.
- Despite Hicks’s call, at least nine Democrats remain in the race, including prominent figures like Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, and Eric Swalwell, with no clear frontrunner emerging.
- Polling shows a tight race among a few candidates, including Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, raising concerns about a possible Republican advantage if Democrats remain divided.
- Several Democratic candidates criticized Hicks’s letter, arguing that decisions about candidacy should be left to voters and accusing the party of elitism and discouraging candidates of color.
