The California Governor’s Race Has Become a Nightmare for Democrats

Could it really come to pass that no Democrat appears on the November general election ballot for governor in California? Despite handwringing from liberals and excited optimism from Republicans, it’s unlikely. But the fact that such an outcome is even possible underscores the absurdity of California’s voting procedures – and casts a spotlight on rampant corruption and shadiness in the Golden State’s elections.

For those unfamiliar with California politics, 16 years ago, the state exchanged its partisan primaries for a single June “jungle” primary in which every candidate appears on the same ballot. Then, the two candidates who garner the most votes – regardless of party – compete against one another in the November general election for the ultimate prize.

The whole scheme was clearly devised to help Democrats, who dominate the state. Specifically, the idea was that instead of choosing between a Republican and Democrat in a general election, voters could choose between a radical left Democrat and an even more radical left Democrat.

So, what’s the problem now? Well, there are twelve candidates in the race – nine Democrats and three Republicans. The most recent polls show two GOP candidates leading the pack – meaning that if the polls are accurate and the primary election were held today, Republicans Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, commanding 15 percent and 13 percent support, respectively, in the latest RealClearPolitics average, would advance to the November general election.

In short, the next governor of California, which hasn’t elected a GOP candidate statewide since 2006, would be guaranteed to be a Republican, despite Republican candidates winning combined less than 30 percent of the overall vote share in the jungle primary.

Harold Meyerson, a liberal journalist but no hysteric, recently wrote a lengthy column in the American Prospect lamenting this potential outcome, which he obviously considers a very real possibility. As Meyerson sees it, this brewing calamity is not the result of the maladministration and rampant corruption that has characterized Democrat governance in California for the past two decades. Instead, he blames “the state’s absurd jungle primary.”

Predictably, Meyerson paints unflattering portraits of the Republican leaders:

“The Republican who’s led the field in most of the recent polls, Chad Bianco, is the sheriff of Riverside County. He’s been a member of the ultra-right-wing semi-militia Oath Keepers and is an avowed opponent of vaccines. The Republican running second, Steve Hilton, is a longtime conservative strategist, a Fox News commentator who has promoted Trump’s nonsense about the 2020 election being ‘stolen.’ Those could very well be the only choices Californians get this fall for governor.”

But while Meyerson blames the jungle primary for this very alarming possibility for Democrats, he ignores the other side of the equation: even in California, Democrats are unpopular. Why is it, Meyerson should be wondering, that no Democrat in the race has been able to break 12 percent support? Rep. Eric Swalwell is leading the liberal pack at 11.5 percent, followed by former Rep. Katie Porter at 11 percent and billionaire Tom Steyer at six percent.

It’s easy to see why Californians are not tripping over themselves to line up behind one Democrat candidate, particularly when it comes to affordability. As Salary.com reports, “Living costs in California are 42 percent higher than the U.S. national average.” Specific expenses are hair-raising compared to the rest of the country: Housing is 97 percent higher than average. Transportation and energy are 29 and 24 percent higher, respectively, and food is 15 percent higher than average.

Democrat governance has also produced high unemployment. The Sacramento Bee reports, “Not only is California’s unemployment rate again the nation’s highest among the 50 states, the number of unemployed workers in the state was up for the sixth straight month.”

Democrats have also provided their voters with the nation’s highest poverty rate. CalMatters reports, “California’s rate, at 17.7 percent, means that nearly 7 million of its residents are impoverished.” For all this, the Tax Foundation says Californians bear one of the nation’s heaviest tax burdens:

“California has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 1.00 percent to 13.30 percent. An additional payroll tax on wage income brings the top rate to 14.4 percent. California has an 8.84 percent corporate income tax rate. California also has a 7.25 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 8.98 percent. California has a 0.70 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value… California has a 70.92 cents per gallon gas tax rate.”

Which brings us back to voting, but perhaps not in the way you were expecting. Millions of Californians have been voting with their feet. According to data provided by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), the Golden State has had net population losses every year since 2001: “California now experiences net losses among higher-income households as well as middle and lower-income households.”

Considering incompetent Democrat governance and high taxes, it seems California should be ripe for a political revolution like the one that may be brewing. But Republicans getting their hopes up for an all-GOP general election ballot in one of the nation’s most liberal states should remember this pesky little fact: California has enacted universal mail-in voting.

That means that California election officials send postage paid ballots to all 23 million people listed on their voter rolls. Ominously, California election officials have fought DOJ attempts to audit these rolls, and a Clinton-appointed judge dismissed a lawsuit that would have compelled the state to turn them over to federal authorities. That ruling was appealed, of course, but it’s unlikely that the dispute will be resolved before state officials send the ballots out on May 4th.

Ballot harvesting is legal in California, and the state will begin accepting filled out ballots starting May 5th and will do so through June 9th, seven days after the primary. This isn’t going to be a red-letter day for election integrity. Don’t be surprised if a Democrat or two suddenly makes a miraculous last-minute push before – or even after – primary day and winds up on the November ballot.

Still, The New York Times poll tracker shows Bianco and Hilton vying for the top spot in the last seven surveys. So, it may well be that California voters are so disgusted with Democrat incompetence that they are finally ready to trade up, and no amount of Democrat election shenanigans can stop the wave that’s building. Hope springs eternal in the human heart.

David Catron is a Senior Editor at the American Spectator. His writing has also appeared in PJ Media, the American Thinker, the Providence Journal, the Catholic Exchange and a variety of other publications.