California Republicans are feeling good ahead of primary election day, party chairwoman says | CA Politics 360
Corinne Rankin, thank you so much for making time for us. Thank you so much for having me. All right, as party chair days out from the election, how are you feeling? Uh, we’re feeling really good. Uh, I think that, you know, what you’re seeing on the Democrat side is, you know, little to no enthusiasm, and, you know, it’s quite the contrast on the Republican side. So we’re, we’re feeling good about it with the recent polling that’s coming in. What do you make of the very crowded governor’s race at this point? Well, I’m, we’re looking at it from the lens of, you know, our Republican candidate, so we feel confident that we will have *** Republican in the top two. Do you think, I mean, the, the. The concerns that were raised by Democrats about two Republicans possibly making it to the general election, was that on your radar as *** possibility? I mean, or did you think that that was maybe something that the other side was trying to push to help with their side of the race? Uh, you know, I think early on there was *** very small percentage of *** chance that that could be the case. Uh, we were, you know, hopeful, but it didn’t seem like it was going to be realistic. What do you make of just according to the latest data. Democrats are clutching their ballots still. *** lot of them have not turned out in the same way that they did in 2022, for example. We see Republicans are motivated to go to the polls. What do you make of that? I think there’s *** lot of enthusiasm on the side of the Republicans and you know as the chair of the Republican Party it’s my job to to turn out votes and so it seems like we’re we’re doing *** really good job of that this cycle getting Republicans to turn in their ballots early and also you know on on the other side there’s not *** lot of enthusiasm you know when you look at the slate of. Democrats running for governor, there’s no excitement there, uh, you know, Javier Becerra is only polling as high as he is now is because Eric Swalwell was forced to drop out for the scandals that he had. I think that, you know, Democrats are rightfully, uh, feeling like they need to hold their ballots because they’re not enthused about any of the. Choices when we look at the Democrats, we’re looking at more of the same, you know, 57% of Californians believe that we’re headed in the wrong direction and we’re on the wrong track, and I think Democrats are taking *** long, *** hard look at that and saying, you know, should we even be voting for Democrats at this point because they have nothing to offer. All they have to offer right now is more of the same. Path of the wrong direction and Republicans are literally the other direction and just with that other direction, what issues do you think are driving people? I mean, if you want to speak for Republicans, what do you think they might be motivated to go to the polls early at this point? I think they’re looking for, I think what they see in our Republican candidates are fresh perspective, uh, fresh ideas when you look at, you know, someone like, uh, like Steve Hilton, he’s never been in, in politics before. I think there’s *** lot of enthusiasm about that because he doesn’t have *** long track record of failed policies like all of the Democrats do the. For the British Prime Minister, though, I mean that’s being in politics but not state politics, not state politics, not California politics, it, it is *** fresh perspective and then when you look on the at at our other candidate, uh, Sheriff Chad Bianco, you know, there’s *** lot of public safety concerns statewide in our, you know, in, in California. So, you know, *** lot of people look to him, uh, you know, hoping that he can come in. And solve some of those problems. So I think we’ve got *** really good contrast of Republicans and Republican candidates, and I think California Republicans are excited about that. The governor’s race has taken up *** lot of the oxygen in the room on this election. Are there any other races, whether that’s across the state, down the ballot, on the statewide ballot, where you see Republicans really having *** shot at breaking through? I think in the superintendent’s race, uh, when we look at Sonia Shaw, I think there’s *** lot of parents that are looking for something different when it comes to the education of their children. Uh, when we look at Democrat policies over, you know, the last decade or so, uh, the Democrats have failed, and it’s really been, uh, negatively impacting black and brown students, uh, across the state. I think, uh, Stacy Kors got in, in, uh, running for insurance commissioner, you know, here we have *** woman who spent 38 years. In insurance, uh, if anybody is going to know how to go into *** position and fix what’s wrong, it’s somebody with 38 years of experience. Is there anything statewide like the LA mayoral race? What do you make of that? I mean, do you really see *** Spencer Pratt breaking through in our state’s largest city? Well, I think that when you look at what you look at Karen Bass and she’s only polling at what, 25% for an incumbent mayor of Los Angeles, that’s atrocious. Uh, there’s *** lot of excitement around Spencer Pratt at this time. Uh, you look at the streets of LA, they’re, they’re full of crime, they’re filthy, um, you know, there’s so many problems whether it be public safety, you’re seeing just this wide diverse group. Group of individuals who are more excited about, you know, voting for the mayor, uh, than probably it has been before, you know, Karen Bass has *** lot of failures, uh, behind her, uh, mayoral bid this last cycle. So, you know, it doesn’t surprise me that Los Angelenos are looking for something different. Has there been engagement between the party and Spencer? Like, have you all been in touch? Just what’s, what is that through line like if it is there? No, we haven’t been in touch, uh, with, uh, Spencer Pratt or his campaign, but you know we just like everybody else we’re watching and you know we’re rooting for *** better Los Angeles and we hope that Los Angelenos are are rooting for the same. What in these final days, these final moments leading up to June 2nd, is the California Republican Party doing? We’re going to continue to encourage Republicans to turn in their ballots. We’re sending out constant reminders encouraging them. To get their ballots in reminding them that the, you know, the polls are open to go in to vote early, uh, we don’t want them to forget we want them to, you know, know how much, uh, their vote counts. All right, Corinne Rankin, Republican Party chairwoman, we really appreciate your time. Thank you for having me.
California Republicans are feeling good ahead of primary election day, party chairwoman says | CA Politics 360
Updated: 8:25 AM PDT May 31, 2026
California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said the party is feeling good ahead of election day and confident that a Republican candidate for governor will move on to the general election in November. “What you’re seeing on the Democrat side is little to no enthusiasm and it’s quite the contrast on the Republican side,” Rankin said in an interview on California Politics 360. When asked about early voter turn out so far, Rankin said the Republican party is doing a good job so far. The latest data shows Democrats have been slower to turn out so far in this statewide election compared to 2022. “When you look at the slate of Democrats running for governor, there’s no excitement there,” Rankin said. “I think Democrats are rightfully feeling like they need to hold their ballots because they’re not enthused about any of the choices.” Rankin pointed to a recent Public Policy Institute of California poll showing 57% of likely voters believe the state is heading in the wrong direction. “Republicans are literally the other direction,” Rankin said. When asked what issues she thinks are driving Republican voters to the polls, Rankin said the fresh perspective offered by the candidates. “Fresh ideas, when you look at someone like Steve Hilton who has never been in (state) politics before, I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. “He doesn’t have a long track record of failed policies.” “When you look at the other candidate Sheriff Chad Bianco, there’s a lot of public safety concerns statewide in California, so a lot of people look to him hoping he could come in and solve some of those problems, so I think we have a good contrast in Republican candidates and I think California Republicans are excited about that,” she said. KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.
California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin said the party is feeling good ahead of election day and confident that a Republican candidate for governor will move on to the general election in November.
“What you’re seeing on the Democrat side is little to no enthusiasm and it’s quite the contrast on the Republican side,” Rankin said in an interview on California Politics 360.
When asked about early voter turn out so far, Rankin said the Republican party is doing a good job so far. The latest data shows Democrats have been slower to turn out so far in this statewide election compared to 2022.
“When you look at the slate of Democrats running for governor, there’s no excitement there,” Rankin said. “I think Democrats are rightfully feeling like they need to hold their ballots because they’re not enthused about any of the choices.”
Rankin pointed to a recent Public Policy Institute of California poll showing 57% of likely voters believe the state is heading in the wrong direction.
“Republicans are literally the other direction,” Rankin said.
When asked what issues she thinks are driving Republican voters to the polls, Rankin said the fresh perspective offered by the candidates.
“Fresh ideas, when you look at someone like Steve Hilton who has never been in (state) politics before, I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. “He doesn’t have a long track record of failed policies.”
“When you look at the other candidate Sheriff Chad Bianco, there’s a lot of public safety concerns statewide in California, so a lot of people look to him hoping he could come in and solve some of those problems, so I think we have a good contrast in Republican candidates and I think California Republicans are excited about that,” she said.
KCRA 3 Political Director Ashley Zavala reports in-depth coverage of top California politics and policy issues. She is also the host of “California Politics 360.” Get informed each Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on KCRA 3.