In a surprising turn of events, California Democrats are poised to back a gubernatorial candidate who seems to lack widespread appeal within their ranks. According to political experts, this is largely due to a dearth of compelling choices among the current contenders.
Among the frontrunners, Xavier Becerra has emerged as the default choice in a field of uninspiring left-leaning candidates, as the state heads into its primary on Tuesday. Party leaders are expected to rally around him, despite the muted enthusiasm.
The silence from influential figures like Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi has been notably deafening. For months, these powerhouses have refrained from indicating their preferred candidate, adding to the uncertainty.
A Republican official told The Post that this reticence partly stems from a “lack of enthusiasm” for the Democratic hopefuls, who have failed to generate any real excitement on the campaign trail. This sentiment echoes widely across the political landscape.
Another strategist speculated that Newsom and Harris might be holding back their endorsements to avoid potential embarrassment, especially as they both eye potential presidential bids in the future.
Adding to the intrigue, Rusty Hicks, the Democrat party chairman, sidestepped questions about his stance in an awkward interview over the weekend. He notably declined to express even the slightest satisfaction with Becerra’s candidacy, leaving observers to wonder about the party’s internal dynamics.
The election is poised on a knife’s edge, with Republican Steve Hilton and Democrats Becerra and Tom Steyer jockeying it out for top spot across multiple polls.
Some have Becerra on around 28%, with Steyer on 22% and Hilton close behind on 21%. But a McLaughlin & Associates survey for The Post has Hilton and Steyer on 25% and Becerra on 19%.
Since horrific rape allegations forced Eric Swalwell to drop out of the race, Becerra had mopped up much of his support and suddenly started polling towards the top of the pack.
Yet party leadership appears unwilling to stump him up as their preferred choice, with Hicks previously calling on lower polling Democrats — which included him at the time — to drop out.
When asked repeatedly about Becerra during an interview shared over the weekend, the party chairman refused to endorse him or even say he was glad he was in the race.
He simply told KCRA: “I don’t think anyone could have predicted as to how this race would turn out.”
The Post reached out to the Democrats to ask whether an endorsement was imminent. The party did not respond. The party has remained reluctant to rally around any one candidate.
At February’s California Democratic Party convention, no contender came close to securing the 60% support required to earn the party’s endorsement. Swalwell led the field with about 24%, while Becerra finished third with 3%.
“Everyone who endorsed Swalwell was embarrassed. No-one wants a repeat of that,” Democratic political consultant Steven Maviglio told The Post.
Harris, Pelosi and Newsom have all declined to endorse a candidate in the race, even as they have weighed in on other contests across the state, including backing Karen Bass for LA mayor.
Newsom has made clear he wants a Democrat to win — just not which Democrat.
“I’m supporting a Democrat in the runoff and look forward to the voters making that decision very shortly,” Newsom said in April, saying he is “absolutely confident” a Democrat will emerge from the June 2 primary election.
Biden has likewise remained on the sidelines. Becerra served as secretary of Health and Human Services in his administration, yet the former president has not endorsed him.
But he has endorsed several former administration officials in other races, including former Deputy Cabinet Secretary Dan Koh in the Massachusetts 6th Congressional District Democratic primary and ex-White House Director of Public Engagement Keisha Lance Bottoms in her bid for Georgia governor.
The Post reached out to the former president’s office to ask why he had withheld an endorsement for Becerra.
Newsom, Pelosi and Harris were also asked whether they were considering weighing in before Tuesday’s election, but did not respond.
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“There’s a scenario where Gov. Newsom could have endorsed, but now is not that time,” said Maviglio, president of a Sacramento-based public affairs firm.
He said the race remains “so fluid and without a frontrunner,” which has fueled hesitation among top Democrats.
Maviglio added endorsements are typically a signal to voters about shared values and argued that support from leaders like Newsom or Pelosi can be “jet fuel to a campaign.”
“The governor isn’t endorsing because he has presidential ambitions and if his endorsed candidate lost it would be egg on his face,” Maviglio claimed.
“It’s in the nature of these elected officials to be risk-averse, and all the state’s leading Democrats have had long relationships with Steyer and Becerra.”
Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, sees things differently.
“I think it’s due to the lack of enthusiasm. I don’t think they can get voters excited. They’re not enthusiastic about any of the Democratic gubernatorial contenders,” Rankin told the Post.
“You remember Eric Swalwell was the guy everybody was rallying behind. And then we all know what happened. The rest is history.”
“A lot of times it’s what people don’t say that says everything. So the fact that they are not weighing in on Xavier Becerra means there’s something that they know that we don’t know yet,” Rankin added. “I think it’s very telling.”
Rankin noted the lack of endorsements can also be due to “baggage” that candidates may bring, but did not elaborate.
She noted the Republican Party was evenly split between Hilton and Chad Bianco at its convention and did not issue an endorsement, though she said the party would unite behind whichever candidate advances.
Informally, Republicans have largely rallied behind Hilton after receiving the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Oil companies are making a cash splash in the final stretch of the race to back Becerra, drawing criticism from rival Steyer, who has attacked him for accepting oil industry contributions.
Becerra has also faced political and media backlash over a recent on-camera exchange with KTLA reporter Annie Rose Ramos, where he appeared to push back on questions and asked, “this is not a gotcha piece, right?”
His record in the Biden administration has also come under renewed scrutiny.
Following a recent CNN debate, former Justice Department spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said Becerra “was not effective in government,” though former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain called the criticism “profoundly unfair,” and former COVID response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha defended Becerra’s handling of a difficult portfolio.
There have also been reports of internal frustrations within the White House over Becerra’s management style, including delays tied to migrant child processing at the southern border.
Separately, Politico reported skepticism among some former Biden staffers regarding Becerra’s political standing, with one staffer saying of internal polling, “It gets the biggest laugh every time we send around a poll,” referring to his performance ahead of the June primary.
Additional attention has been drawn to Becerra’s political orbit following developments in a criminal case involving a former California political aide.
Former California political aide Dana Williamson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and making false statements to the FBI.
The case involved a scheme to steal about $225,000 from a dormant campaign account belonging to Xavier Becerra, whom authorities say was the victim.
The Becerra campaign did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment regarding the lack of endorsements from former colleagues and other Democratic power brokers.
Matt Klink, a political strategist, argued the lack of endorsements may actually benefit voters.
“Elite coordination reduces uncertainty. If influential figures like Newsom, Pelosi, Harris, or Biden all move in the same direction, it can create a perception of consensus,” he said.
“Conversely, when those leaders are divided or silent, voters are more likely to make independent judgments and keep their options open.”
California’s jungle primary was backed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as a way to transform state politics, forcing candidates to appeal to voters across party lines and ultimately elevating more moderate politicians.
On June 2, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election.
“In modern primaries, particularly for Democrats, endorsements tend to follow momentum more often than they create it,” Klink said.
“The lack of endorsements in the governor’s race highlights the uncertainty that still exists, particularly among Democratic and decline-to-state voters.”
A growing number of California Democrats are embracing an unusual election strategy ahead of the state’s crowded gubernatorial primary: waiting until the final possible moment to cast their ballots.
The tactic is being fueled by anxiety within left-wing circles over the state’s open primary system, where the top two candidates advance to the November election regardless of party affiliation — a format commonly known as the “jungle primary.”
