Swalwell was the closest thing Democrats had to a frontrunner in a wide-open governor\u2019s race with nine other candidates. His departure \u2014 and Trump\u2019s endorsement of Republican commentator Steve Hilton<\/a> \u2014 promises to reorder the race ahead of the June 2 primary, from which only two candidates, regardless of party, will emerge.<\/p>\n \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s endorsement has all but guaranteed that Steve Hilton will be one of the two candidates in the runoff,\u201d said Dan Schnur, a professor at UC Berkeley\u2019s Institute of Governmental Studies. \u201cEric Swalwell\u2019s departure has completely eliminated reasonable guesswork on who the other candidate might be.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not stopped people from trying.<\/p>\n Prediction markets like Kalshi, where users wager on outcomes of political events, show billionaire Tom Steyer\u2019s stock soaring over the weekend. Steyer\u2019s vast personal resources have allowed him to blanket the state, with its expensive media markets, in ads touting his progressive bona fides. A California Democratic Party poll of California likely voters released last week<\/a> showed Steyer garnering support from 11% of voters, a point behind Swalwell.<\/p>\n But Steyer\u2019s billionaire label could also be a liability against former Rep. Katie Porter, who said on X Monday<\/a> that she was \u201c(still) the only candidate in this race who is neither a billionaire nor taking corporate PAC money.\u201d Women voters might be drawn to the prospect of electing California\u2019s first female governor in the wake of another scandal involving powerful man, Democratic consultant Steven Maviglio pointed out.<\/p>\n Still, Porter, who polled at 7% in the party poll, has obstacles of her own, including separate videos that surfaced last year of her losing her temper at a staffer in 2021<\/a> and a reporter last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s a flock of lower polling candidates who\u2019ve been eyeing a way to break out from the pack.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of those folks are going to get a consideration, especially the ones that have at least some money in their pockets,\u201d said Sacramento State political science professor Kim Nalder.<\/p>\n Backers of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan committed at least $12 million since the accusations against Swalwell emerged Friday, according to Matt Rodriguez, campaign manager for the Back to Basics independent expenditure committee.<\/p>\n Mahan and other candidate, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, have been critical of unions and California\u2019s regulatory environment, a message that could be attractive to corporate donors as well as \u201cwrong track\u201d voters who believe the state needs a shift in leadership.<\/p>\n Two of the most powerful unions in the state, SEIU California and the California Teachers Association, withdrew their backing of Swalwell over the weekend and must now decide whether they\u2019ll pick a new favorite. The CTA votes on endorsements at quarterly state council meetings; the next one won\u2019t occur until after the June 2 primary, and the elected board is meeting this week to discuss next steps.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the SEIU said they had nothing to add beyond the organization\u2019s Saturday statement<\/a> calling on Swalwell to drop out of the race.<\/p>\n Most analysts agree many voters are only now tuning in to a race that\u2019s lacked high-profile names like Newsom.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only good thing that\u2019s come out of all this is voters are now very aware of this race,\u201d Maviglio said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 2:51 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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