California Democratic leader urges weak gubernatorial hopefuls to bow out

Fearing the prospect of a Republican winning California’s gubernatorial race, state Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks on Tuesday urged his party’s candidates who don’t have a viable path to victory to step aside.

“It is imperative that each candidate honestly evaluates the viability of their candidacy and campaign,” Hicks wrote in an open letter to politicians vying to replace ousted Gov. Gavin Newsom. “I recognize that my suggestions are difficult for many to consider and may even be considered too harsh by some. »

Hicks did not name the Democrats he wants to remove from the race.

But even though the chances are relatively low, California can’t risk seeing a Republican elected as the next governor at a time when President Trump is in the White House, he said.

“[S]“There is a lot at stake in our nation and many are counting on the leadership of California Democrats to stand up and speak out at this historic moment,” Hicks wrote. “California’s leadership on the world stage is much more difficult if a Democrat is not elected as our next governor.”

Hicks urged Democrats who are languishing at the bottom of the field of candidates to drop out before Friday’s deadline to formally file for governor — to ensure their names don’t appear on the June primary ballot.

Under California’s two-primary system, the two candidates who received the most votes in the June primary advance to the November general election, regardless of party.

With nine major Democrats running, the fear is that the candidates will split their party’s votes and allow the top two Republicans in the race to finish in first and second place. This is despite the fact that registered Democratic voters outnumber Republicans nearly 2-to-1 in the state, and no Republican candidate has won a statewide election since 2006.

Having two Republicans running in the November election would be devastating to Democratic voter turnout and could hurt the party’s candidates in crucial down-ballot races.

“The outcome would pose a real risk to winning needed seats in Congress and jeopardize Democrats’ chances of taking back the House, cutting Donald Trump’s term in half, and sparing our nation the pain many have endured since January 2025,” Hicks said in his letter. “We just can’t let this happen.”

A recent Public Policy Institute of California poll found five candidates leading the contest: former Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Eric Swalwell and hedge fund founder Tom Steyer among Democrats, as well as conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, both Republicans. Hilton and Bianco have led all candidates in other polls in recent months.

Discussions about whether some Democrats should leave the race took place last weekend at the California Democratic Party convention, as well as when the powerful California Federation of Labor Unions began its endorsement process last week.

But a politically thorny issue is that nearly all Democrats trailing in the polls are people of color, as former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra pointed out during a candidates’ forum Monday night.

“By the way, there are people calling for candidates to withdraw from the race,” he said at a rally hosted by Equality California and the Los Angeles LGBT Center at the Renberg Theater in Hollywood. “Isn’t it interesting that the candidates they’re asking to drop out of the race are candidates of color? So don’t take me there.”

Hicks, when asked about the effect of color on applicants, praised the field’s accomplishments.

“We have a number of strong candidates. They have incredible stories and reflect the diversity of our party. That being said, there are some political realities about the situation we find ourselves in at this particular moment,” he said in an interview. “I’m not calling on any specific candidate to go one way or the other. I’m simply asking them to evaluate their campaign and determine if they have a viable position. [path] and if they don’t, don’t file a complaint.

At Monday night’s governors’ forum, Porter said she was concerned about the prospect of two Republicans in the top two.

“I hear people tell me this could never happen, but everyone has said that about Trump too,” she said at the forum. “And I look at how much we’re suffering, and I think about all the political risks that people face every day, the risk of an immigrant leaving their home and walking our streets, the risk of a trans kid trying to play sports even in this state. And I just don’t think we can take any more political risks.”

Times staff writer Phil Willon contributed to this report.