California Democrats Face Uncertain Choices in Governor’s Race

The Story

The crowded race for California governor has left many Democrats wrestling with who to vote for in the closing days before the June 2 primary. With roughly 60 candidates, including six major Democrats and two prominent Republicans, no clear front-runner has emerged. Ballot returns have been slower than normal, with Democrats returning ballots at a slower pace than Republicans.

Key Facts

• Voting began in early May ahead of the June 2 primary.
• There are roughly 60 candidates vying to succeed termed-out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
• The field includes six major Democrats and two prominent Republicans.
• Former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out after being accused of sexual assault.
• President Donald Trump endorsed conservative commentator Steve Hilton in April.
• About 10% of the state’s roughly 23 million voters had voted as of Wednesday (date not specified in article, but context of May 28 article). [Note: The article says “as of Wednesday” but does not give a date; we omit the date.]
• A mid-May poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton each have support from about 2 in 10 likely primary voters.
• Tom Steyer, Chad Bianco, and Katie Porter each drew between 10% and 15% support in that poll.
• Becerra’s support increased from 5% in a late March/early April poll.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Colin Culver, 21-year-old San Diego resident (voter)
• Tom Steyer, billionaire hedge fund manager turned climate activist (Democratic candidate)
• Paul Mitchell, Democratic strategist tracking ballot returns
• Xavier Becerra, former state attorney general and federal Health secretary (Democratic candidate)
• Steve Hilton, conservative commentator (Republican candidate)
• Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff (Republican candidate)
• Katie Porter, former Congresswoman (Democratic candidate)
• Mary O’Neal, San Francisco native (voter)
• Antonio Villaraigosa, former Los Angeles mayor (Democratic candidate)
• Alexa Duran, 22-year-old Fresno native, recent UC Berkeley graduate (voter)
• Amber Larson, 41-year-old judicial analyst from Chico (voter)
• Ramsey Robinson, socialist candidate

Sources: abcnews.com