LOS ANGELES (AP) — Despite controlling California politics for decades, Democratic Party officials are facing an unprecedented challenge as their gubernatorial primary spirals into chaos just weeks before mail-in ballots arrive.
With less than a month until voting begins, party leadership is publicly expressing anxiety about losing their first statewide race in twenty years. The crowded candidate field has descended into arguments over debate participation, identity issues, and ballot procedures while everyday Californians grapple with rising fuel and food costs.
“Squabbles about debates or other inside baseball politics are likely under the radar for most voters and seem almost absurd, given what’s facing us,” Kim Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at California State University, Sacramento, said in an email.
All candidates acknowledge that many voters haven’t decided who should lead America’s most populated state, which alone ranks as the globe’s fourth-biggest economy. More than 50 names appear on the ballot, featuring eight prominent Democrats and two Republican frontrunners.
This marks the first time in decades that the gubernatorial election feels uncertain rather than predetermined — previous governors Jerry Brown and departing Gavin Newsom won their races easily. The question facing Democrats is how to reclaim their political dominance in a state where they control all statewide positions, command the legislature, and outnumber Republican voters nearly two-to-one.
“I have no idea and anybody who tells you they do, they don’t know either,” said veteran Democratic consultant Dan Newman, who is not involved in the race.
Democratic concerns about the June 2 primary center on California’s unpredictable “top two” system that places all candidates on a single ballot, advancing only the highest two vote-getters to November regardless of party affiliation. Party officials worry their 24 listed candidates will split Democratic support into tiny portions, potentially allowing the two Republican leaders — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, both Trump allies — to claim the top spots.
Though affordability concerns dominate national discussions, the governor’s race has shifted toward bitter personal confrontations and disputes that have created a disorganized atmosphere. A scheduled televised debate was scrapped following controversy over selection standards that qualified six white candidates while excluding Black, Latino and Asian contenders.
The University of Southern California, the planned debate host, stated the controversy “created a significant distraction from the issues that matter to voters.” The cancellation followed discrimination allegations from excluded candidates of color.
The debate cancellation occurred after state Democratic Chair Rusty Hicks urged struggling candidates to withdraw from the contest. Additionally, Rep. Eric Swalwell, among the Democratic frontrunners, claimed Trump was attempting to interfere after reports that administration officials directed FBI agents to collect materials from a ten-year-old investigation into the congressman’s connections to an alleged Chinese operative. No criminal charges resulted from that investigation.
This week, Bianco announced he suspended an investigation into election fraud claims after confiscating over 500,000 2025 election ballots, citing increasing legal pressure from state officials and voting rights organizations.
Across the nation, Democrats have celebrated wins in multiple contests — including on Trump’s home territory — viewing them as positive indicators for this year’s midterm elections when Congressional control hangs in the balance. California Democratic leaders fear lacking a candidate in November’s general election could reduce voter participation in crucial U.S. House competitions.
This situation could “imperil Democrats’ chances to retake the House,” Hicks, the state Democratic chair, has warned.
The campaign to replace Newsom unfolds with Trump serving as the constant target for Democratic hopefuls — California is considered the epicenter of anti-Trump resistance. Meanwhile, the state struggles with persistent homelessness issues, routine million-dollar housing costs, and anticipated budget deficits, while citizens face some of America’s steepest gas prices, taxes, and utility costs.
February polling by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California revealed the field had separated into two tiers, with Bianco, Hilton, and three Democrats — Swalwell, former Rep. Katie Porter, and billionaire environmental advocate Tom Steyer — running competitively, while remaining candidates lagged behind.
The unpredictable contest has evoked memories of the surprising 1998 outcome — the previous open gubernatorial race — when longshot Democrat Gray Davis emerged ahead of two prominent Democrats who continuously attacked one another in the primary, with Davis ultimately winning in November.
Campaign dynamics have transformed in today’s attention-driven environment, where candidates must compete against digital platforms and online content creators to reach distracted voters.
“Normally people would paying attention,” Newman said. “The whole campaign has been in slow motion.”
