You may have heard something about the California governor’s race, the tedious drama spanning several months during which a state lopsidedly Blue might have no Democratic candidate on the ballot to replace termed-out Governor Newsom come November. That’s because California operates under a top-two primary system in which all wannabes of any party compete on the same ballot to secure one of the coveted slots for the general election. Republicans happened to have only two quasi-serious contenders, while Democrats had eight. When Democratic state party chair Rusty Hicks called for low-polling candidates to drop out, his pleas were met with rage rather than compliance, especially since it just so happened that all of the low-polling contenders were people of color and/or female. Eventually, two Democrats withdrew from the race: frontrunner Eric Swalwell, whose political future evaporated in the heat of credible sexual harassment and assault allegations, and Betty Yee, the former state comptroller with a sterling reputation but without charisma or money. Both their names still appear on the ballot.
So do 59 other names, because California is that big and that stupid, at least in terms of how little it takes to run for governor: minimal paperwork and residency requirements plus less than $5,000 in filing fees OR a minimum of 6,000 verified signatures. A penchant for pranks is optional. One of the candidates is Barack Obama. If only! Unfortunately, it’s not the Barack Obama, who would win in a landslide.
Since political reporting largely consists of covering the horse race instead of issues, Californians desperate to get a feel for the candidates were treated to a series of cage fights debates to help them decide. Perhaps these dismal affairs served some purpose: Widespread exposure to Republican Sheriff Chad Bianco dampened his appeal. In prior polls, Bianco–a fire-breathing MAGA lunatic best known for seizing 650,000 ballots in March in response to yet another fringe allegation of 2020 election fraud–consistently grabbed one of the two top spots alongside Hilton; now he comes in 3rd at best. Still scary, but a big relief to Team Blue.
Speaking of scary, Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton poses an ongoing threat in that he oozes charisma and charm and cloaks his MAGAism well by sounding as reasonable as a Fox News contributor can. Sunnily optimistic and smooth-talking, he reminds me of Reagan, with the added bonus of a British accent. Hilton, a fan of Maggie Thatcher and Brexit, lived in England until 2012 and became a naturalized US citizen in 2021.*
It’s likely that the top Democratic vote-getter—probably former Attorney General and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra or billionaire Tom Steyer–will square off against Hilton in November. It’s been a season of strange bedfellows: Jodi Hicks, head of California’s Planned Parenthood, quipped on X, “I had a fever dream that in California socialists were supporting a billionaire [Steyer] and MAGA was supporting an immigrant Hilton. So weird.” Even in very Blue California, Hilton’s charisma and the fact that solid Democratic control for the past 16 years has not made much of a dent in California’s problems make him a formidable opponent.
That’s why my own strategy has shifted from voting for the top-polling Democrat (usually Becerra) to the second-polling Democrat (usually Steyer). It could be just wishful thinking that Democrats might occupy both top spots, but it’s not impossible. With Bianco’s numbers dropping, it’s been clear for weeks that at least one Democrat will be on the ballot in November. (Alas, voting for my actual favorite, Katie Porter, feels like a luxury we can’t afford, especially since she’d have a much tougher run as a woman who fairly or unfairly has a reputation for temperament problems against Hilton than either man.)
So, in the end I voted for Tom Steyer, the billionaire who wants to tax the rich.
In 2013, Steyer also founded NextGen America, whose mission is to educate and empower young people to organize, vote, and lead. Steyer’s priorities are affordability, tackling income inequality, fighting climate change, and standing up against Trump/MAGA and the corporate oligarchs warping our democracy and threatening our future.
I had the chance to get to know Steyer earlier and closer up, when the California Donor Table (CDT), a progressive group of donors who seek to elect Californians of color and others from marginalized communities, unanimously endorsed him, then held a Zoom Q&A with Steyer and invited guests. CDT’s mission was to make sure there was a Democrat who aligned with their progressive values in one of the top two slots, and that said person had the resources to withstand the vicious onslaught Republicans would launch. “Tom Steyer wasn’t on any of our Bingo cards,” remarked CDT’s Endorsement Committee chair. But in addition to having sufficient resources, Steyer impressed everyone with his commitment, intelligence, and breadth and depth of his decades-long involvement and success in California politics. This includes closing corporate tax loopholes, saving pro-environment legislation, ensuring children’s well-being, and criminal justice reforms. Steyer is also widely heralded for his coalition-building capabilities and equitable stewardship. I had worried about his sincerity and management skills, but from this meeting and other sources (Rebecca Solnit’s endorsement is especially detailed and compelling), I now have zero qualms. He walks the walk better than most, and has a fine grasp of the complexities of what ails California and how to fix them.
Still, it’s hard to get over the billionaire thing. It’s the most common thing I hear from my friends, even though they share the same values and policy positions Steyer has long promoted. Another Old (68), Rich, White Guy—seriously? is the knee-jerk response. I feel it some myself.
So when Eric Swalwell’s downfall breathed new life into Xavier Becerra’s flagging campaign, I took a more serious look at him. It’s well past time for a Latino governor (who could also juice turnout for down ballot races crucial to winning the US House), and he has a varied and impressive resume. My husband and I even gave him a little money. I really, really wanted to like Becerra, but have found him disappointingly ho-hum. Even so, he’s regularly the leading Democrat in the polls
That’s why I’m casting my vote for Tom Steyer. It wouldn’t take that many votes for him to edge out Hilton, plus I prefer him to Becerra. I’m proud to vote for the Class Traitor for reasons both strategic and personal.
I would happily change my vote were their poll rankings reversed. What’s most important now is to vote for a viable Democratic candidate by Tuesday (do not trust the mail at this late date—drop box or in-person voting only, please). And then happily vote for whoever advances to November’s general election.
______
* These facts are unlikely to matter. Of greater relevance is that both Bianco and Hilton have declared they would extradite to Louisiana doctors who prescribe abortion pills for out-of-state women, thus violating California’s abortion shield law in order to uphold draconian anti-choice laws elsewhere. Whatever you think about abortion, shouldn’t the Governor of California uphold our state law rather than Louisiana’s? Remember this one for the fall persuasion season.