What Eric Swalwell’s exit means for Democrats in California’s governor race

From the article:

The lack of a clear Democratic front-runner to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who is term-limited, has raised concerns within the party. High-profile Democrats who could have cleared the field, including former vice president Kamala Harris, declined to enter the race. Some feared that support divided among more than a half-dozen prominent Democrats who did run would result in two Republicans advancing to the general election from the unusual June 2 jungle primary.

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After Swalwell’s campaign imploded, wealthy donors poured millions to boost Mahan, a more centrist candidate and the only top contender to hold elected office in the San Francisco Bay Area. On Tuesday, a super PAC backing Mahan launched an ad campaign in every state media market except for the Bay Area after receiving $12 million in pledged donations over the weekend alone to support the efforts, according to the group’s campaign manager, Matt Rodriguez.

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Voters have been apathetic. In mid-March, an unusually large share of voters could not offer an opinion on the gubernatorial candidates, according to findings from the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley.

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Name recognition and money goes a long way in California, where candidates struggle to reach large swaths of voters in expensive advertising markets. That’s why modern governors have usually been statewide officeholders before, like Newsom, a former lieutenant governor, or celebrities, such as Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan.

But this year, some of the well-known Democrats who could easily raise money decided not to run. Harris, who was a California attorney general and represented the state in the U.S. Senate before she became vice president, was widely seen as the prohibitive favorite had she entered the race. She is instead considering another presidential campaign. Sen. Alex Padilla (D), widely seen as a potential Newsom successor, also opted not to run, saying last year that he wanted to continue his work in Congress. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D) withdrew from the race, and Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) instead ran for reelection — despite their offices often being a stepping stone to the governor’s mansion.

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Porter, who flipped a House seat in red Orange County in 2018 and unsuccessfully ran in the Senate primary in 2024, has also leaned into her brand as a staunch Trump critic. She received national attention as a sharp questioner of Trump administration officials in Congress and became known for often bringing a whiteboard to hearings. But she has also drawn scrutiny over allegations that she mistreated staff and for nearly walking out of a contentious interview with a local television reporter.

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Steyer, who made a fleeting presidential bid in 2020, has deep pockets. His campaign has spent at least $114 million on ads, according to data from AdImpact. But he is trying to win support for his affordability-focused populist campaign from a liberal base often leery of billionaires. He has faced criticism for his former hedge fund’s investment in a company that now operates immigrant detention centers.

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, the only current statewide elected official in the race, and Betty Yee, a former state controller, also have struggled to break through.