In a call for consolidation some view as late, Chair Rusty Hicks is asking lower-performing candidates to drop out ahead of June primary.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chair of the California Democratic Party Rusty Hicks is publicly urging lower-performing candidates to step aside in the crowded race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, warning that a fractured field could jeopardize Democrats’ chances in November.
In a letter sent Tuesday ahead of Friday’s candidate filing deadline — which would place candidates on the June ballot — Chair Hicks called for consolidation in the June primary, telling candidates to “get viable or get out.”
“I am saying out loud what plenty of people have been saying privately,” Hicks said.
The appeal comes weeks after the party’s endorsement convention ended without an endorsement for governor. With multiple Democrats polling in single digits, strategists have raised concerns that the party’s vote could be so divided that two Republicans advance to the general election under California’s top-two primary system.
Political analyst Steve Swatt said the call may come late in the process.
“I think it’s a little late. I do,” Swatt said.
Under state law, candidates who have already filed paperwork to run cannot withdraw their names from the ballot, even if they stop actively campaigning. That means they could still siphon votes from higher-performing contenders.
A recent poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found five candidates essentially tied within the margin of error: Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, and Democrats Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell and Tom Steyer.
Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc. said candidates polling at lower levels must recognize the potential consequences.
“They have to know that they’re costing votes for the top Democratic vote-getter,” Mitchell said. “Even if there are five Democrats at the end of the day, there is still some chance they can split up the vote so much.”
Hicks also emphasized the down-ballot implications of the governor’s race. Hicks said California is working to assist Democrats in taking back the House in the midterms — especially given the recent success of redrawing congressional maps to Democrats’ advantage via Proposition 50 — and that not having a Democrat at the top of the ticket in the gubernatorial race would dissuade Democrats from turning out to vote.
Several Democrats who polled in the single digits have indicated they will remain in the race, including former state Controller Betty Yee, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former Assemblymember Ian Calderon.
Calderon provided a statement, writing, “I thought we were Democrats and we believed in choice? Apparently, that doesn’t apply to our elections. When insiders try to narrow the field or decide who should run, it sends the wrong message. If we want to rebuild trust, let people choose — stop trying to manage the outcome. Maybe it’s time to consider Ranked Choice Voting so Californians aren’t boxed into a lesser-of-evils decision. Voters deserve real options.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond sharply criticized the party’s push, suggesting it disproportionately targeted candidates of color.
“The California Democratic Party is essentially telling every candidate of color in the race for governor to drop out,” Thurmond said in a reaction video he posted onto the social media platform X. “And that’s why we’re in this race to win it.”
Hicks declined to single out specific candidates, saying polling data “speaks for itself” and describing the letter as a first step.
When asked if additional action will be taken by party leaders ahead of June, Hicks responded, “Only time will tell.”
Other Democratic leaders have weighed in. Newsom, who has not endorsed a successor, said he understands why Hicks sent the letter.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said in a statement, “It’s important that candidates don’t file if they aren’t ready or able to go the distance. With respect, they know who they are.”
Jodi Hicks, CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California also weighed in Tuesday, warning in a letter, the dangers of a Republican(s) advancing to November.
Hicks, who is the wife of Paul Mitchell, noted, “Given the severity of this moment, we urge candidates to consider how continuing their candidacy may put California’s values and reproductive freedom at risk.”
Even major California labor unions, such as the SEIU, that typically weigh in on significant races such as the governor’s race has declined to endorse meantime, asking for more consolidation. The union has stated, however, it would not be endorsing Republicans Bianco or Hilton, nor San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who’s brought in the Silicon Valley donor base.
The debate underscores mounting anxiety within Democratic circles as the June primary approaches, with strategists warning that a divided field could create an unpredictable outcome in the nation’s largest state.
Meantime, Republican Hilton responded to the letter, writing in a statement, “I have no idea why most of these Democrats are running – I’ve now debated them a number of times, they’re all the same as each other and all the same as what we have now. I can see why Rusty Hicks is asking the ones who have no chance to drop out but the truth is none of them will be the next governor because after 16 years of Democrat one party rule that have given us the highest poverty rate, highest unemployment rate and highest cost of living in America, we need change in California not more of the same Democrats.”
We did not hear back from Sheriff Bianco on a request for comment.
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