California Democrats Express Concern as Two Republicans Take Lead in Governor’s Race

California Democrats are grappling with a daunting challenge as the 2026 governor’s race looms on the horizon. Recent internal polling has revealed a startling development: two Republican candidates, former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, are currently leading the pack in the June 2 primary election.

In a bid to address these concerning figures, Democratic Party officials convened a news conference on Tuesday to release the survey results and issue a call to action. According to the state’s “jungle primary” system, only the top two candidates will advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

State Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks expressed alarm over the findings, stating, “This initial survey indicates two Republicans are leading, while several Democratic candidates lag behind.”

Hicks continued, “These results underscore the real, albeit slight, possibility that Democrats could be excluded from the general election.” He emphasized the need for all candidates to critically evaluate their chances of securing a win and urged them to strategize accordingly.

He added, “It’s yet another reminder of the undeniable fact that all candidates must honestly assess their viable path to win, and I continue to call for them to do so.”

Democratic insiders have expressed panic over the crowded field potentially leading to Hilton and Bianco facing off in the runoff, which would make way for the first Republican governor of California since Arnold Schwarzenegger left office in 2011.

The survey — conducted in mid-March among 2,000 likely voters — comes after the cancellation of Tuesday night’s gubernatorial debate at USC following Democratic legislators and candidates of color expressing outrage about the lack of diversity.

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Along with Hilton and Bianco, the three leading Democratic candidates in the race who were set to take part — Rep. Eric Swalwell, progressive billionaire Tom Steyer and former congresswoman Katie Porter — are all white.

Other candidates in the race were furious when San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who is also white, was the sixth and final candidate included in the USC debate despite polling lower than former U.S. Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra. Mahan’s campaign has substantial financial backing from big tech players.

Other Democrats who are still running despite polling in single-digits include former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and former state controller Betty Yee.

Hicks, who changed course in a matter of weeks from saying the party would let the process play out to then calling on low-polling Democratic candidates to drop out of the race, stopped short of naming specific candidates Tuesday.

“There’s 70 days to go until election day, 40 days until ballots are in the hands of voters,” Hicks said. “We are prepared to do what is required to ensure that we elect a governor in November of 2026.”

He later added, “Would I prefer not to put forward a survey that showed two Republicans leading? Of course.”

Tommy Vietor, a co-host for the left-leaning podcast Pod Save America, called the situation a “mess” on social media Tuesday morning.

“The CA Democratic Party needs to get together ASAP and put a tent on this circus,” Vietor wrote. “The primary is in June. Ballots start getting mailed May 4th. Candidates who aren’t above 5% in the polls by April 15th need to drop out and endorse someone else to narrow the field.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to endorse anyone in the race, and Hicks seemed non-committal when asked if the governor should put his thumb on the scale in pressuring out low-polling candidates.

“I think that’s a decision for the governor,” Hicks said. “And as far as the timing, only time will tell.”