{"id":64994,"date":"2026-04-14T20:18:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T20:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/04\/14\/with-swalwells-exit-california-governors-race-begins-anew\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T20:18:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T20:18:57","slug":"with-swalwells-exit-california-governors-race-begins-anew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/04\/14\/with-swalwells-exit-california-governors-race-begins-anew\/","title":{"rendered":"With Swalwell’s exit, California governor’s race begins anew"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Sacramento – <\/span>Eric Swalwell has dropped out of the California gubernatorial race and Congress to spend time with family, he says. Allegations of rape and sexual abuse<\/a>. This could be considered good news for the many Democrats who remain in the race, and even the two Republicans who are currently polling near the top.<\/p>\n

but this chaotic campaign season<\/a> has clearly failed to capture the imagination of voters. This despite a sex scandal, a The billionaire is spending his millions<\/a>spend a black horse Tech-Brother lakhs,<\/a> One debate where the invitations were so controversial that the event was canceled and ballots were confiscated by a sheriff in a failed MAGA-pandering stunt. (President Trump ultimately endorsed his opponent.)<\/p>\n

After all this, you’d think Californians would care, at least on the face of it. <\/p>\n

But they don’t do that.<\/a> At least not yet. <\/p>\n

it’s the same Will remain an “indecisive” leader<\/a> Will remain in the race until voters are forced to fill out their ballots? Even Republicans, whose main choices are Trump-backed Steve Hilton and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco, can’t make up their minds. <\/p>\n

Times columnists Anita Chhabria and Mark Z. Barabach look at why the race is so messed up, who stands to benefit from the Swalwell implosion, whether anyone will ever get excited about any of these candidates \u2014 and what it means for California’s future. <\/p>\n

Chabariya:<\/b> We’re less than 50 days away from the June 2 primaries and somehow this race remains boring and unpredictable. <\/p>\n

There is much talk about whether the two remaining top Democratic candidates, former Rep. Katie Porter and billionaire investor Tom Steyer, will capture Swalwell’s supporters \u2014 or second-tier contenders like San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra or ex-LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa could rise from the moribund with a surprise surge. <\/p>\n

With so little time and candidates who have already proven to lack charisma, I worry that what happens next will really be about money – which Steyer and Mahan have. Mahan’s tech-industry supporters are already reported to be Millions of dollars worth of advertising purchases are being made<\/a> His name and image seared into our consciousness in these final days, like a breakfast cereal we didn’t know we wanted to buy. <\/p>\n

Ditto Steyer<\/a>However he enjoys a very high profile and support from several major unions. <\/p>\n

do you think that Money is going to rule the finish line<\/a> In this, or do any of the other candidates have a chance through determination? <\/p>\n

Barack<\/b>: Let’s be real. <\/p>\n

If Tom Steyer were a schmuck named Tom Steinway, who did not have the vast wealth to finance his political ambitions, he would not be even remotely in the running, much less be talked about as one of the front-runners. Anyway, Steyer has spent an amount equivalent to the GDP of a small country and he still hasn’t crossed the 15% mark in the polls.<\/p>\n

This is not exactly a blatant endorsement, despite all that he has managed to gain through his wealth.<\/p>\n

California has a long history of rejecting moneybag candidates. In fact, no governor has been elected to date. That said, we’ve never seen a contest like this \u2014 and that’s before Swalwell’s candidacy goes up in dirty smoke.<\/p>\n

The closest similarity \u2013 which does not include the self-immolation referred to above \u2013 was in 1998. Voters weren’t crazy about the two leading candidates, including a rich guy who was blasting them with TV advertising, so they chose the colorless guy trailing far behind the pack. (And yes, dear reader, Gray Davis was eventually recalled, but that came long after the fact.)<\/p>\n

In Iowa, there’s a saying around its presidential caucus. The secret is to organize, organize, organize and then finally get warm. Obviously, California is not the kind of state you win by making a million and holding a CoffeeClutch. But the principle \u2013 lay the groundwork, then rely on timing and good luck \u2013 may apply here.<\/p>\n

Who could he be? There can be no harm from Mahan’s sudden increase in cash. But your guess is as good as mine.<\/p>\n

Chhabria<\/b>: The thing about organizing is that for Democrats, most of the work is done by labor unions. They provide people with phone banks, door knockers. California Labor Federation supported it this time basically everyone<\/a> (Swalwell, Steyer, Villaraigosa, and Porter), which did not benefit any Democratic candidate. <\/p>\n

In a rare move, the California Labor Federation and the Service Employees International Union California, like other unions, withdrew their support of Swalwell after these allegations surfaced. But labor is divided among the other candidates (although Steyer is getting the affection of the unions), a real problem when it comes to that kind of organizing. <\/p>\n

It’s this division of power between real people that makes me worried that the influence of money will be even greater this time. <\/p>\n

But at the same time, there is the unknown. There is talk online that a famous or strong contender (Kamala? A celebrity?) may run a last-minute write-in campaign. Although state law no longer allows write-ins for the general election, a small window remains for the primary election. What do you think? Can a new person swoop in and excite the voters so much that they get misled?<\/p>\n

Barack<\/b>: Well, there’s Steve Cloobek.<\/p>\n

Who you might be asking?<\/p>\n

He is a wealthy real estate developer who left the race in November after a year-long anonymous campaign. Upon his exit, he enthusiastically supported his close friend, Eric Swalwell. <\/p>\n

Speaking to our colleague Seema Mehta, Klobek said he wants the Legislature to amend the state constitution so he can apply to run again for governor \u2014 saying President Trump comparing himself to Jesus is a fallacy.<\/p>\n

Seriously, political gossip abhors a vacuum, so they fill it with all kinds of hypothetical scenarios of candidates riding in on white horses and saving us… what exactly?<\/p>\n

I’m the rare voice arguing that the governor’s race isn’t boring at all. The boring situation would have been that Kamala Harris would have been a strong lead for the Democratic nomination and people would have been speculating whether anyone could stop her. While this group of candidates won’t send laser lights dancing into the dark sky, there are plenty of capable people still in the running, unless you’re looking for someone who will entertain and\/or give California another four years of distraction. <\/p>\n

And we’ve seen what putting a reality-TV star in the White House has done for us.<\/p>\n

Chhabria<\/b>: At the end of the day, or at least on Election Day, it’s a question of who we trust about California’s future. Ultimately, this is why this race is a hot mess \u2014 neither candidate, Republican or Democrat, has offered an inspiring enough vision that voters will want to trust them for the next four or eight years. <\/p>\n

To me, this is where the real failure lies. I don’t think that if it is prepared with credibility and competence then voters will have no problem with it. <\/p>\n

I agree with you that we don’t need another reality star in any elected office. And more than one of these candidates has the skills to run the state. But in an age of deception, arrogance and ostensible incompetence, voters want someone they can trust. <\/p>\n

So far, none of the candidates have shown that sense of security, that they are campaigning as a public servant rather than a thirsty contender hoping for a rose. <\/p>\n

So either someone moves on and earns a rose, or it drops into the top-two worst. June Primary still holds its secrets. <\/p>\n

Barack<\/b>: You know me; Always looking on the bright side!<\/p>\n

If you’re a Republican, the upside is remote, but not impossible, with Bianco and Hilton taking both spots on June 2. That would mean one in two lands the governor’s office in January, despite California’s overwhelming Democratic lean.<\/p>\n

For an unaffiliated voter and political non-combatant like me, a Californian who cares deeply about my home state, the silver lining is this: At least people are finally paying attention to the governor’s race.<\/p>\n

So let’s dive in! You have just under seven weeks to make your decision.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sacramento – Eric Swalwell has dropped out of the California gubernatorial race and Congress to spend time with family, he says. Allegations of rape and sexual abuse. This could be considered good news for the many Democrats who remain in the race, and even the two Republicans who are currently polling near the top. but<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[21129,723,747,4093,1196,1197,19421],"class_list":["post-64994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bible-verse","tag-anew","tag-begins","tag-california","tag-exit","tag-governors","tag-race","tag-swalwells"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64997,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64994\/revisions\/64997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}