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Posted on 04/24/2026 12:24:12 PM PDT by Angelino97
Ten days ago, Congressmember Eric Swalwell was getting very close to becoming the Democratic candidate for governor of California. But then he imploded amidst sensational accusations of sexual harassment and assault.
Within hours of the revelations, Swalwell abandoned his campaign and then resigned from Congress and is now under criminal investigation.
Why Swalwell was leading the field of Democratic hopefuls was never clear. His only claim to political fame was being one of President Donald Trump’s most persistent critics — which, of course, has little to do with governing the nation’s most populous state.
It seemed he was seen as an alternative to billionaire Tom Steyer, who had been spending lavishly on TV and internet ads while positioning himself as a Bernie Sanders-style progressive.
Those turned off by Steyer’s ideology or his wealth were seemingly drifting to Swalwell, who hewed to a more or less moderate line.
Swalwell’s sudden departure left a vacuum that Steyer and the third Democrat in the top tier, former Congressmember Katie Porter, hoped to fill. However, when Swalwell’s disappointed supporters looked at their options, many apparently settled on Xavier Becerra, the mild-mannered former congressmember, state attorney general and Biden administration official.
The Democratic Party released its latest tracking poll on Monday, revealing that the two Republicans, — former TV commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco —are still leading the pack at 16% and 14%.
However the big news was that Becerra had shot up from 4% on April 5 to 13%, topping all Democrats. Both Steyer and Porter gained slightly in the post-Swalwell shakeout but Becerra’s rise is nothing less than phenomenal.
Why?
Perhaps Swalwell’s disillusioned supporters, who obviously had not felt comfortable with Steyer or Porter, were looking for someone dependable and trustworthy — even a little dull — after seven years of Gavin Newsom’s flashy sideshow.
It could be 1982 all over again.
That was the year that a stolid public servant, Republican Attorney General George Deukmejian, succeded wunderkind Gov. Jerry Brown.
Brown, like Newsom, had devoted much of his governorship to seeking national political attention, running for president twice, and the same voters who elected Deukmejian on a law-and-order platform soundly rejected Brown’s bid for a U.S. Senate seat.
Brown publicly acknowledged that he had worn out his welcome — although 28 years later, much older and wiser, he returned to the governorship.
This year’s campaign for governor has been the weirdest of any in at least 80 years, including actor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s improbable victory in 2003. For months, potential candidates dropped in and opted out, two Republicans led the polls in one of the nation’s bluest states, Democratic leaders were openly worried that the GOP could win the governorship by default with a 1-2 finish in the primary and, finally, scandal forced Swalwell out.
The next phase will continue the post-Swalwell reshuffle, with Becerra either continuing his meteoric rise or reaching a plateau and with Democrats still mired in low single digits, deciding whether to continue their campaigns.
“I continue to believe there are too many Democrats in the field,” said Rusty Hicks, Democratic state chair.
An hour before the new poll was released, one of the also-rans, former Controller Betty Yee, tearfully suspended her campaign — understandable, given her 1% standing. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (2%) and state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond (2%) are on the bubble. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan gained a bit to 5% and his Silicon Valley backers are now staging a multimillion-dollar ad campaign in hopes of putting him in contention, with mail voting beginning in just two weeks.
Meanwhile it’s still theoretically possible, although not likely, that the two Republicans could finish 1-2, thus guaranteeing election of a GOP governor in November.
In a year as wacky as this one, nothing seemingly impossible should be discounted.
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Steyer is the worst Democrat left. Mahan is the least worst. Katie Porter is terrible, but she would probably be a really ineffective governor.
California will go for the RAT bum again.
They’re all horrid, but out of them all Xavier Becerra is probably the stupidest. Just listen to the dumb things he says and you’ll know.
BTW, I tried to watch the Governor debate the other night. I had to turn it off after about 15 minutes because they had me screaming at the TV set. It’s all I could take of their lies and stupidity.
Any democrat will be an utter disaster for CA. Any Republican would be ineffective as the democrats have more than a 2/3rds majority to just override anything they do.
CA is a shitshow lost cause no matter what.
It was a strategic error for President Trump to endorse Hilton.
In a wide-open field, the Dems could have fractured sufficiently for two Republicans (Hilton and Blanco) to make the run-off. With Republican support coalescing behind Hilton, at best he’ll windup in a run-off against Becerra or Steyer.
Because this is how communists select the next leaders of the communist party.
” It’s all I could take of their lies and stupidity.”
Oh, they’re not stupid. They know exactly what they’re doing.
Xavier Becerra, currentl Democratic frontrunner in the 2026 California governor’s race,
<><>faces criticisms over his management of the Covid-19 response
<><>as well as border issues while he was at HHS,
<><>Becerra was involved in a 2025 campaign embezzlement scandal,
<><>he has a bad reputation as an aggressive ruthless partisan.
Key points regarding his reputation include Management & Leadership Criticism:
Critics, including some former Biden officials, argued that during his time as HHS Secy, Becerra struggled to lead, specifically regarding the pandemic response and the Southern border surge.
Becerra’s Campaign Finance Scandal: In 2025, a scandal emerged regarding a dormant campaign account, where close aides were accused of misappropriating funds, though Becerra was not directly charged, he termed his aides’ actions a “gut punch”.
Becerra’s Partisan “Brawler” Image-—is Known for his aggressive defense of the Obama Affordable Care Act and strong progressive stances, he is described by some as a “partisan brawler” and “relentlessly on message,” which is praised by supporters but viewed as “ruthless” by opponents.
Policy Experience Debate During his confirmation for HHS, saw Republicans criticize his lack of direct public health experience, though some cite his legal expertise as a state attorney general.
Steyer is the devil, seriously if he wins Im leaving Commiefornia I cant stay here with him as Governor and that says a lot since Im barely surviving that sack of crap NewSCUM destroying this state..Becerra the open borders who cares about who illegals kill jackass is just as bad, I watched the debate, I really liked how Bianco handled things, he knew how to hit back, Hilton is good too but Bianco I was pleasantly surprised
The LA Fires and the bullet train fiasco may be the breaking point. The emerging Minnesota-style fraud in California will become a key election issue for voters as the magnitude of the fraud dawns on them.
It will be an interesting race to watch.
-PJ
Steyer wants single payer in this state, so my question, does that include HIM too, or does he get to keep his private insurance for his cute lil self..illegals control this state, they get first priority, so I want to know if Steyer is willing to wait TWO YRS to see a doctor or nah
Democrats look at how an utterly worthless fool won the Arizona Senate race in 2024 by virtue of having a Hispanic last name. They look at said fool's ex-wife, who despite not possessing an ounce of Hispanic blood herself, kept the fool's last name for political reasons and tricked her way into the Phoenix mayor's office. They realize that they don't have a white male candidate glamorous enough to overcome their own propaganda - and they need a minority candidate to help them overplay the race card and overcome the tales of their own deviance in the headlines.
Steve Hilton should have changed his name to Steve Hernandez - his chances would shoot up dramatically.
The ‘RATs are ALL pretty terrible. It is all marxism and suffering.
Can he read or speak English?
Nah. Two-tiered system, as always. Although they’ll never explicitly say it.
Every cloud has a lining. Or something. 😵
We, here in Ca are so doomed.
I agree with your ranking. However Porter would probably get pushed around by bigger Dem names and do their bidding.
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