California Democratic Governor Hopefuls Disregard Calls to Step Down
Despite requests from the state's Democratic Party leader for less successful candidates to withdraw from the gubernatorial race, all except one of the leading prospects have ignored the appeal.
The party's bigwigs are concerned that the large number of contenders may divide the Democratic electorate during the state's top-two primary election in June. This could potentially lead to two Republicans progressing to the November election, resulting in the first Republican governor since 2006.
Defiance of Party Leader's Plea
The state party Chairman expressed his disappointment as his counsel was largely neglected. He stated that the responsibility for a Democratic victory now lies with the gubernatorial candidates who have ignored his plea. "The candidates for Governor now have an opportunity to present a credible roadmap to victory," he remarked.
Despite the Chairman's Tuesday letter, urging those "who cannot demonstrate significant progress towards victory" to step down, eight leading Democratic candidates officially registered to appear on the June ballot. The deadline for filing to appear on the primary election ballot is fast approaching, and soon it will be announced who will be on the June ballot.
A former mayor criticized the Chairman’s open letter, saying it seemed like someone burying their heads in the sand. He noted that the majority of candidates registered within a day of receiving the letter, which garnered some media attention but didn't significantly impact most candidates or his campaign.
Party Leaders' Influence
According to a Democratic strategist, it was fitting for the party leader and other Democratic leaders to issue a public request as opposed to keeping such discussions exclusively behind closed doors. However, the response demonstrated the limited power of contemporary party leaders.
Referring to an influential Democratic political organization that once dominated New York City politics, the strategist noted that the modern party is not as influential. The state GOP's minimal power likely plays a role in the Democrats' decision to stay in the race. Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1 in the state, and they hold every statewide elected office and supermajorities in both California Legislature chambers.
Impact on the Race
Only one of the nine major Democrats heeded the party chair’s message. A former assemblyman, who consistently polled near the end of the field, withdrew from the race and endorsed another candidate. However, even if other candidates withdraw from the race, there are concerns that a crowded primary ballot could still divide California’s liberal votes.
The head of a major labor union expressed disappointment that most will be on the ballot, but still believes some candidates could drop out of the race or become viable. She thinks that there are candidates who understand that they need to demonstrate their viability in the coming weeks.
Despite these concerns, a prominent Republican candidate and former television host expressed confidence in his chances. He finds it challenging to believe that the Democratic Party would simply concede California and allow two Republicans to top the polls.
Alignment on Key Issues
During a recent forum focused on housing, the candidates agreed broadly on the need to lower barriers and costs to build more housing in California, where the median price for a single-family home exceeds $820,000. Many also supported suggestions to deter private investment firms from buying homes, as well as a proposed $25-billion bond to assist first-time homebuyers with down payments.
However, some candidates criticized the party leader’s attempt to thin out the field, noting that most of the lower-polling candidates he asked to drop out are people of color. They believe the political system is corrupted by political elites and the wealthy.
In addition to opinion polls, other indicators on who may emerge from the pack of candidates are slowly surfacing. For instance, one candidate won support from 24% of delegates at the state Democratic convention last month, the most of any party candidate. Meanwhile, another candidate has donated $47.4 million of his own money to his campaign. A newcomer to the race has quickly raised millions of dollars, as have two independent expenditures committees supporting his bid.