For California people -- this is important. Of course you all have a favorite candidate for governor, but in this instance, being more strategic and less independent may be called for. Imagine California with a Trumpista for a Governor!
--Kim
To my friends who are California voters: Please read what Brent has written. His words are so much better than almost anything I've read about the CA gubernatorial race, and what democrats/progressives decide to do -- what YOU do -- is so crucial.
Hat tip to Carol Holdstock for the original share.
THE CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD: HOW PURITY TESTS ARE SHAKING THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR'S RACE
by Brent Molnar: A Voice of Reason
May 7, 2026
In the vacuum of a wide-open 2026 gubernatorial primary, California Democrats are doing what they do best: building a high-tech circular firing squad. With the June primary rapidly approaching, the airwaves are thick with "disqualifying" narratives. Whether it’s Xavier Becerra’s management of federal agencies, Katie Porter’s office temperament, or Tom Steyer’s billionaire status, the party is currently locked in a series of purity tests that threaten to do the one thing Democrats fear most … splitting the blue vote so thin that a Republican walks into the Governor’s Mansion.
Every major candidate has been assigned a specific "original sin" by their detractors.
The Bureaucrat: Xavier Becerra is being hammered for his tenure at HHS, specifically for the "speed over safety" mandate that led to thousands of migrant children being placed with unverified sponsors. To his critics, this isn't just a policy failure; it’s a moral one.
The Scold: Katie Porter, once the darling of the whiteboard-wielding progressives, is now fighting a "toxic boss" narrative. Resurfaced videos of her snapping at staffers have been weaponized to suggest she lacks the executive temperament to lead a state of 39 million people.
The Plutocrat: Tom Steyer is facing the classic "wealth vs. values" critique. Despite spending over $130 million to save the climate, he is dogged by his hedge fund’s past investments in coal and private prisons. Critics ask: can you buy your way to a clean conscience?
The problem with these purity tests isn't that the criticisms are illegitimate … they are based on real records and real actions. The problem is the scale.
In the current political climate, we have begun to treat "bad management" or "rude behavior" as equivalent to "existential threat." We argue endlessly about whether Becerra was "ineffective" or whether Porter is "mean," while ignoring the actual math of the primary.
Under California’s top-two system, a fragmented Democratic field is a gift to the GOP. Currently, polls show Republicans like Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco hovering at the top of the pack simply because their base isn't split four ways. Is any of this truly "damning" enough to warrant a dropout?
Did Xavier Becerra commit a crime? No. He managed a broken, overwhelmed federal system that has defied every secretary for thirty years.
Did Katie Porter violate the law? No. She had a "bad day" on a Zoom call that was caught on tape.
Did Tom Steyer break the state? No. He used the capitalist system to build a fortune that he is now using to advance progressive causes.
None of these candidates have done anything that justifies handing the keys of the fourth-largest economy in the world to a candidate aligned with the national Trump agenda. Yet, by engaging in these "all-or-nothing" character assassinations, the Democratic base is effectively doing the GOP's opposition research for them.
The "Top-Two" primary doesn't care about our feelings; it cares about percentages. If Becerra, Porter, and Steyer each take 12-15% of the vote while the Republican block consolidates around one or two names, the November ballot could end up without a Democrat on it at all.
We are currently watching a race where the "perfect" is not just the enemy of the "good" … it’s the architect of the "disastrous." If the eventual goal is a California that remains a firewall against the policies of the Trump administration, then perhaps it’s time to stop looking for a saint and start looking for a Governor.
We can argue about who has the "least" baggage until we’re blue in the face. But if we keep litigating the past with this much vitriol, we might find ourselves in a future where we don't have a choice at all.
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