Amid stern calls for consolidation in the crowded Democratic field for governor, a Republican candidate has dropped out

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Tuesday, Republican candidate Jon Slavet dropped out of the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying he did not see a viable path to victory.

Slavet, who entered the contest in December, joined a Republican field dominated by former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. Both have consistently been viewed as the top GOP contenders in the race and have recently sparked fears they could advance as the top two vote getters into the November runoff, given that the Democratic field is jam packed and likely to split the votes.

Slavet was polling at 1% in the most recent survey by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

Political observers noted that even lower-polling candidates can influence outcomes in California’s top-two primary system, where the two highest vote-getters — regardless of party — advance to the November runoff. Slavet’s presence on the ballot could have siphoned some Republican votes from Hilton or Bianco, potentially affecting whether both Republicans might advance.

In an interview, Slavet dismissed the likelihood of two Republicans moving on to the general election.

“I think there’s some panic in the Democratic Party in California there could be top two Republicans, even though the chances and probability of that are small,” Slavet said.

He also criticized the tone of the broader campaign.

“When I look left at the Democrats, I see a lot of Trump bashing. But I don’t see practical ideas to help working people,” Slavet said. “And when I look right, I see rhetoric that unfortunately will alienate many of the independents and Democrats that we need to win over as Republicans.”

Slavet said he chose to withdraw ahead of Friday’s candidate filing deadline to ensure his name would not appear on the June primary ballot, saying he did not want to confuse voters.

His exit comes as party leaders — particularly within the Democratic Party — have called for consolidation in the crowded race, raising concerns that a divided field could produce unexpected results in the primary.

WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | California governor race heats up as party urges some Democrats to step aside

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