Tuesday open thread: California primary elections

The California State Capitol in Sacramento

Well, here we are.

Other states are holding primaries today, but needless to say all eyes will be on California and its gubernatorial, jungle primary, where the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, go on to the general election in November.

Now, I'm not going to pretend neutrality on this. I voted for Xavier Becerra, and have encouraged everyone I know to do likewise. At first I would have been fine with either Becerra or Tom Steyer. But Steyer's conduct during the primary campaign has been sorely disappointing. The fact that he was endorsed by Bernie Sanders' organization Our Revolution, even though he is a billionaire, has made me laugh at the lack of principles among the left. Anyone who mouths their platitudes gets their support, whatever red flags may be waving as in a hurricane.

The remarkable thing about this primary has been Becerra's meteoritic ascent once former Rep. Eric Swalwell was caught up in scandal and dropped out of the race, as well as resigning from Congress. Before Swalwell's demise, Becerra could barely get traction. And then a grassroots effort sprang up, mainly among supporters of Kamala Harris, the dreaded "K-Hive". He went from single digits to leading with 28% of the primary vote according to the latest poll by Emerson College. And it seems to be solid support:

The final Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics survey of the California governor’s race finds Democrat Xavier Becerra leading the race for Governor at 28%, followed closely by Democrat Tom Steyer at 22% and Republican Steve Hilton at 21%. Twelve percent support Republican Chad Bianco, while 5% support Democrats Katie Porter and Matt Mahan, respectively. Four percent are undecided. When undecided voters are asked to decide who they would support, Becerra’s support remains at 28%, and Hilton and Steyer both receive 23%.

We'll see how the undecideds break, but the added support received by Steyer and Steve Hilton when respondents were pressed to make a choice is negligible.

Becerra has surged for one salient reason: He's not a pendejo. He's a calm, experienced politician who has served at all levels of government, both in California and in Washington, DC. He has weathered a barrage of negative ads from Steyer, promoted on social media by his paid bots, and has not only held onto his support, but has grown it. We are going to see if Californians are fine with a billionaire buying his way into Sacramento. Becerra's rise since April is due to this air of normalcy and humility. 

Sadly, you folks are going to have to stay up late if you want to keep up with our results. So get a little coffee and settle in.