Governor’s race wildly unpredictable two weeks before Californians receive ballots

The most unpredictable California gubernatorial race in recent history took another series of dizzying turns Monday, with former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra surging sharply after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out in the face of allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, and former state Comptroller Betty Yee ending her bid.

The race to replace outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom is the first in a quarter-century without a clear favorite and with a sprawling group of candidates fighting for the attention of Californians, who are just starting to pay attention to the campaign two weeks before ballots arrive in their mailboxes.

“I certainly could not have imagined the twists and turns and disturbing turns this race has taken,” Yee said in announcing his withdrawal. “But through it all, my values ​​and my vision for California have never wavered.”

A poll released Monday by the state Democratic Party — the first since Swalwell (D-Dublin) stepped down — showed support for Becerra jumped nine points to 13 percent, putting him tied with Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental warrior. Former Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County saw a slight increase, from 7% to 10%, while the remaining Democrats in the race were mired in the low single-digit range.

The party launched the polls out of concern that Democrats could be shut out of the gubernatorial race because of California’s unique primary system, in which the top two vote-getters in the June 2 primary advance to the November general election, regardless of political party.

“I still believe there are too many Democrats in the field,” California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks said Monday. “My call for candidates to honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaign remains relevant, especially if you are stuck in a single-digit range, seeing financial resources dry up, and/or unable to garner additional support. »

Hicks and other party leaders and allies had unsuccessfully urged low-performing candidates to reconsider their candidacy before the filing deadline, in an effort to eliminate candidates and avoid splitting the Democratic vote. Although most did not nominate candidates they believed should consider their viability, Yee was widely considered to be among them.

Yee became emotional when she said Monday that she decided to withdraw from the race because she was unable to gather the resources needed to compete in the state. She also said her message of competence and experience didn’t resonate with voters who were looking for a fiery foil to President Trump, not “Boring Betty,” as she called herself. Yee said she would gauge the terrain before making an announcement about whether she would support any of her Democratic colleagues.

Becerra was another candidate seen as a target of party leaders’ efforts to narrow the field. But he held on and apparently took advantage of Swalwell’s fall.

“I’m not the richest candidate, I’m not the smartest candidate, but I’m the one who gets you,” Becerra said, rallying his supporters in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The audience was filled with members of labor groups supporting the longtime politician, and Becerra told them he would serve as a “union guy” in the governor’s office.

Pro- and anti-Becerra forces clashed outside City Hall after two people, who declined to identify who they worked for, distributed fliers highlighting critical media investigations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the migrant crisis, when the agency was led by Becerra.

Pro-Becerra protesters grabbed the flyers and told the men to leave, prompting a security guard to intervene.

The question is whether Becerra, who has also served as state attorney general, congressman and state Assembly member, can raise the funds needed to compete in a state with some of the most expensive media markets in the country. And he was tied in the state party poll with a billionaire who poured another $12.1 million of his own money into his campaign last week.

Steyer’s total investment in his bid reached $133 million, according to the California Secretary of State’s office. He also received support from Our Revolution, a progressive political organization founded by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

“We’ve never supported a billionaire, but Tom Steyer is using his position to shake up the system,” the group posted on X on Monday. “As Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, told @theintercept: ‘He has been a partner in the movement. Most billionaires have used their wealth and privilege to maintain the status quo. Tom is doing the opposite.'”

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who is also running for governor, has accused Steyer of hypocrisy over the hedge fund he founded profiting from investments in private prisons used to house ICE detainees, and Steyer has called for the abolition of ICE.

Steyer got “rich investments from the ICE infrastructure he now wants to abolish,” Mahan posted on Instagram.

Steyer, who sold his stake in the hedge fund in 2012, said he ordered the company to divest from the private prison company and has repeatedly expressed remorse over his former company’s ties to the detention company.

Mahan also appeared at a Hollywood production location Monday to announce his proposal to create a special fund to attract sporting events, concerts and other productions to California, part of his plan to help the struggling film and television industry.

An independent effort supporting Mahan has also raised about $11 million since Swalwell left the race.

Mehta reported from Los Angeles and Nixon from Sacramento. Times Staff Writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.