One day after California’s Democratic party urged candidates without a “viable path” in the state’s crucial race for governor to drop out,
the crowded field showed no sign of winnowing down.

At least nine Democrats are in the running to replace the outgoing governor, Gavin Newsom,
with no clear frontrunner,
💥which has fueled fears that the number of candidates could lead to two Republicans advancing to the November election.

Rusty Hicks, the chair of California’s Democratic party, warned in an open letter on Tuesday about that “unlikely” but “possible” scenario and called on candidates to
“act in a responsible manner with the opportunities and support we have earned”.

He advised candidates not to run in the primary if they don’t have a path to reach the general election,
and said they should be prepared to suspend their campaigns within the next month if they hadn’t made “meaningful progress” toward a primary win.

The packed field of Democratic candidates includes
former secretary of health and human services and state attorney general Xavier #Becerra;
former state lawmaker Ian Calderon; San Jose’s mayor, Matt #Mahan;
former congresswoman Katie #Porter;
billionaire environmental activist Tom #Steyer;
the Congress member Eric #Swalwell;
the state schools superintendent, Tony #Thurmond;
former mayor of Los Angeles Antonio #Villaraigosa;
and former state controller Betty #Yee.

The Republican candidates include
Chad #Bianco, the Riverside county sheriff,
and the conservative political commentator Steve #Hilton.

The nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found the race had split into two distinct groups,
with polling indicating Hilton, Porter, Bianco, Swalwell and Steyer are in close competition,
while the other candidates trail behind
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/04/california-governor-democrats?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other