The most improbable yet undeniably entertaining scenario in American politics a Republican breakthrough in deep-blue California has inched close enough to reality that the states Democratic establishment is beginning to panic.
According to Western Journal, the anxiety has erupted into open infighting after California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks issued an extraordinary public appeal urging weaker Democratic contenders for governor to abandon their campaigns, a move aimed at preventing two leading Republicans from seizing both spots on the November ballot under the states top two primary system.
That system, which progressives once hailed as a reform, allows the two highest vote-getters in the primary regardless of party to advance to the general election, a structure that now threatens to expose the fragility of Democratic dominance when their vote is splintered among too many candidates.
The latest polling underscores why party leaders are suddenly nervous, as the RealClearPolling aggregate shows Fox News contributor Steve Hilton leading the crowded field with 15 percent support, followed closely by fellow Republican and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco at 14.3 percent. Behind them trails a long line of Democrats dividing the left-of-center vote, with Rep. Eric Swalwell of California in third place at 12 percent, former Rep. Katie Porter in fourth at 11.3 percent, and billionaire activist Tom Steyer in fifth with only 9 percent.
From there, the numbers grow even more dismal for the party that has long treated California as its private political fiefdom, with former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra registering just 4.7 percent support and Other a catch-all category for nearly half a dozen Democratic longshots collectively drawing 8.1 percent. Faced with the very real possibility that the fractured Democratic field could allow two Republicans to slip through to the general election, Hicks took the unusual step on Tuesday of publishing an open letter effectively begging the weaker candidates to step aside.
Despite the ongoing chatter, the likelihood of two Republicans effectively locking out California Democrats from the contest for Governor in the General Election is relatively low, Hicks wrote, attempting to downplay the danger even as he acknowledged it. However, while it is implausible, it is not impossible and I know we are collectively committed to taking the steps required to avoid that possibility.
He then sharpened his message, making clear that the partys preferred solution was for lesser-known Democrats to fall on their swords for the sake of the establishments chosen contenders. Therefore, he added, with the filing deadline approaching this Friday, March 6th, and the Primary Election quickly following, it is imperative that every candidate honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaign.
Stripped of its polite phrasing, the directive amounted to a blunt command: if you cannot win, get out of the way and let the party machine do its work. The implication was unmistakable stay in the race, and you risk delivering Californias governorship to Republicans, an outcome the states progressive leadership views as unthinkable.
Unsurprisingly, the long-shot candidates did not take kindly to what they saw as top-down manipulation of a supposedly democratic process. Their resentment was amplified by the fact that, in classic fashion for todays Democratic Party, the dispute quickly devolved into accusations of racial bias.
Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction and a black man, charged that Hicks was essentially telling every candidate of color to withdraw, according to the New York Times. His complaint underscored a familiar tension within Democratic ranks, where rhetoric about diversity and inclusion often collides with the hard reality of party bosses clearing the field for well-connected, mostly white favorites.
Meanwhile, former Los Angeles Mayor and former state Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa took a different tack, insisting that Becerra, a fellow Latino, should be the one to step aside. At the same time, Villaraigosa announced $2.1 million in new spending on a television ad, signaling that he has no intention of bowing to pressure from party leadership and instead plans to fight for relevance in the crowded race.
Republicans, recognizing a political gift when they see one, moved swiftly to exploit the Democrats internal strife. Corrin Rankin, the first black woman to serve as chairwoman of the California Republican Party, seized on Thurmonds remarks and turned them into a broader indictment of Democratic hypocrisy on race and representation.
In a pointed message aimed at minority Democrats, Rankin accused Hicks and the state party leadership of ordering every candidate of color to drop out for your three establishment favorites: Swalwell, Porter, and Steyer all white. Her critique highlighted the gap between Democratic rhetoric about empowering marginalized communities and the reality of a party apparatus that routinely sidelines inconvenient candidates when they threaten the preferred narrative or the preferred nominees.
This episode fits neatly into a broader pattern in recent Democratic politics, where party elites have repeatedly intervened to shape outcomes rather than trust voters to make their own choices. The notorious coup against former President Joe Biden in July 2024, which resulted in the underwhelming then-Vice President Kamala Harris securing the partys presidential nomination without having to campaign for it, leaps to mind as a prime example of this anti-grassroots instinct.
Given that history, few observers on the right expect California Democrats to leave anything to chance in a race that could embarrass the national party and energize conservatives across the country. The more likely scenario is that party officials will find a way to tilt the playing field, clear out inconvenient contenders, and usher an unfathomable nincompoop like Swalwell or Porter into the general election, after which they will dutifully lecture the public about the sanctity of democracy.
For now, however, the spectacle of Democrats turning on one another while Republicans quietly consolidate support offers conservatives a rare opportunity to enjoy the show in a state long written off as a one-party stronghold. Whether or not the funniest thing that could ever happen in American politics actually comes to pass, the mere possibility has exposed the insecurity, hypocrisy, and heavy-handed control that define modern Democratic politics in California.
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