California Democrats Could Face Something That Hasn’t Happened in Over 20 Years — And They’re Panicking

California is the bluest state in America. Democrats have run it for decades. They control every statewide office, dominate the legislature, and haven’t lost a governor’s race since 2006.

Right now, they are genuinely terrified of losing the next one.

After Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the governor’s race last week — following multiple sexual assault allegations — the California Democratic Party is staring at a scenario nobody thought was possible: being completely shut out of the November general election.

Here’s how California works. The state uses a top-two primary system — all candidates from all parties compete together on June 2, and only the top two vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party. With eight Democrats dividing up the vote and two Republicans running strong — Steve Hilton (Trump-endorsed) and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — there is a real chance that both November spots go to Republicans. No Democrat makes it to the general. In the most Democratic state in the country.

The panic is real. Take a look:

Governor Gavin Newsom — the outgoing governor who has been eyeing a national political future — is now reportedly in a “marathon of calls and meetings” trying to figure out what to do. His problem is that he doesn’t love any of the remaining Democratic candidates.

According to CNN’s reporting, Newsom is worried Tom Steyer would be “too all over the place on positions and management to effectively run the state.” He worries Katie Porter would “drive business out” of California. He has tensions with Antonio Villaraigosa from their 2018 primary battle. He’s “not a fan” of Matt Mahan, who frequently criticized him publicly. And he’s unhappy with how Xavier Becerra performed as attorney general.

In other words: Newsom hates his options, but he’s running out of time. Mail-in ballots go out in weeks. And today — April 15 — was the California Democratic Party’s own deadline for struggling candidates without “meaningful progress” to drop out.

This sums it up well:

CNN reported on just how chaotic Newsom’s situation has become since Swalwell’s implosion:

Since CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle broke their stories about Swalwell on Friday night, Newsom has been in a marathon of calls and meetings about the governor’s race, according to a dozen leading Democrats.

Several Democrats have urged Newsom to provide leadership to avoid a potential Republican lockout of the governor’s office in the June primary. Party leaders worry that the crowded Democratic field will divide their vote and allow the two Republicans — Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco — to finish first and second.

Sen. Adam Schiff has been warning that Democrats could get shut out of the runoff in the governor’s race — which he described as “a distinct possibility that none of us can afford to ignore.”

And it’s not like the Democratic candidates are all that strong to begin with. This is California — the same state that has been hemorrhaging residents and companies for years while its politicians patted themselves on the back.

One observer put it simply:

Townhall’s Star Parker put California’s dysfunction in sharp focus on Wednesday:

California’s open primary system allows the top two vote-getters from any party to advance to November’s general election. With eight Democrats splitting their support, two Republican candidates — Steve Hilton (Trump-endorsed) and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — currently lead in polling.

The state faces serious challenges. From 2010 to 2024, there were 10 million departures from California and only 7 million arrivals. Major corporations including Chevron, Tesla, and Oracle have relocated out of state. Only 1 in 3 Californians see their state as a good place to realize the American dream.

California has not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011.

Democrats have run California into the ground and now can’t even agree on who should fix it. The candidates they have left are people even their own governor doesn’t want in charge of the state.

Pelosi, Schiff, and Padilla are reportedly in talks about whether to jointly endorse a single candidate to consolidate the Democratic vote. But that requires agreement — and so far, there isn’t any.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.