In California's governor race, Democratic candidates press on despite party chair's plea for some to exit

"In California, the top two vote-getters in the governor's race, regardless of party affiliation, move on to the November general election. That means if too many Democratic candidates split the vote, it could create a situation where two Republicans end up in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the primary election, thus locking Democrats out of the November runoff."

"Former Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire environmental advocate Tom Steyer and Rep. Eric Swalwell frequently poll ahead of their fellow Democrats in the race, though Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco are in the mix to land in the top two spots as well. And no one has an overwhelming lead in polling at this stage of the race."

""Voters choose the next governor, not political gatekeepers," Mahan's campaign said this week."

California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks urged underperforming Democratic gubernatorial candidates to withdraw before the filing deadline to prevent vote-splitting. Under California's top-two primary system, the two highest vote-getters advance to November regardless of party, creating risk that multiple Democrats could split votes and allow two Republicans to reach the general election. Despite Hicks's open letter requesting candidates honestly assess their viability, nine prominent Democrats remained in the race as of Wednesday. Leading candidates include Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, and Eric Swalwell, while lower-polling candidates like Xavier Becerra, Ian Calderon, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee continued their campaigns. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, entering late, raised significant Silicon Valley funding and rejected the party's pressure.

Read at The Mercury News