TheCalifornia gubernatorial raceis drawing national attention — and local voters are finally tuning in.
Democrats are looking for a new frontrunner afterEric Swalwell’s implosion— and they are desperate to avoid an all-Republican general election if the two GOP candidates stay on top.
Wednesday night’sdebate was entertaining— but it won’t change much about the race. Both Republicans looked solid, while the four Democrats failed to stand out.
That is amajor problem for Democrats.
Under California’s “top two” or “jungle” primary system, all of the candidates compete in a common primary, which will be held this year on June 2.
The first- and second-place finishers go on to the Nov. 3 general election, regardless of party.
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Roughly 40% of the state, at most, votes Republican. The other 60% votes Democrat. (About one in four voters is registered as “No Party Preference,” but few actually vote for independent candidates.)
The two major Republican candidates are running neck-and-neck, and can expect to split their voters fairly evenly. So each has a chance at winning about 20% of the vote in the primary.
The four Democrats onstage, however, are also running close to one another. If they split their vote four ways, each would win only 15%.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
