Swalwell ended his campaign on Sunday, following several reported allegations of sexual misconduct. He said that he was “deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment” that he had made in the past, but continued to deny the allegations against him, calling them “false.” On Monday evening, he announced that he planned to resign his seat in Congress.
Experts tell TIME that they’re not certain which candidate could take the lead, but they point to two possibilities: Tom Steyer, a billionaire philanthropist who launched an unsuccessful presidential campaign in the 2020 election; and Katie Porter, a former California Congresswoman. Polls conducted before Swalwell dropped out of the race showed that Steyer and Porter were behind him, and closely matched, often only a few points apart.
The two both have name recognition, says Christian Grose, a professor of political science at the University of Southern California. Of all the candidates in the race, Steyer has spent the most funds on campaign ads—he has dished out about $89 million on more than 1 million ad airings, as of Thursday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
At the same time, Porter has name recognition as a former member of Congress. Her campaign took a hit in the fall, though, after videos circulated online in which she can be seen threatening to walk out of an interview with a reporter and berating a member of her staff. She apologized for both incidents at a public forum in October.
“There’s some level of discomfort among some Democrats about a billionaire who has not held office becoming the party standard bearer,” Schickler says. “At the same time, I also do think there's a growing desperation to settle on one candidate, and that probably does help Steyer right now.”
The primary election will take place on June 2. California has top-two primaries, meaning that the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes—regardless of their party—will advance to the general election in November. Democrats have expressed concerns that the crowded field could split the vote within their own party, potentially leading to a situation where the two Republican candidates—Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco—move on to the November election.
Last week, Trump endorsed Hilton in the race to replace Newsom. Polls conducted before Trump’s endorsement showed that Hilton, who previously worked as a Fox News host and a political strategist for former British Prime Minister David Cameron, is leading the race.
“I would say that Trump’s endorsement makes it less likely that Democrats have to end up facing what would be a disaster for the party,” Schickler says. “But I don’t think it eliminates it.”
That result could send a “message to Republican voters that these are both credible candidates—both credible Republicans,” Schickler says.
“I think it’s not likely that you end up with two Republicans making it,” he continues. “It’s just hard in such a Democratic state. But it is a possibility, which just suggests how disorganized the Democratic race is right now.”
Hence then, the article about where the california governor race stands after swalwell s exit was published today ( ) and is available on Time ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Where the California Governor Race Stands After Swalwell’s Exit )
Also on site :