Could Democrats be locked out of the Governors Race?

 ‘Ranked voting’ Could  back fire on a state dominated by Democrats?

Wednesday, March 18
2026 California Governor – Open Primary	Berkeley IGS	Hilton 17, Swalwell 13, Bianco 16, Porter 13, Steyer 10, Becerra 5, Villaraigosa 4, Mahan 4	Hilton +1

In California’s top-two primary, all candidates run on the same primary ballot and all voters can participate, regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election.

Top-two primaries have been an important reform allowing every voter to participate in both rounds of the election; in theory, this system gives voters a choice between the two most competitive candidates in November. However, when more than two candidates from the same party run in a primary, it’s possible that they split the vote and lock their party out of the general election – even if most voters favor that party.

That might happen in the race for California governor this year. Eight notable Democrats have already entered the contest – including members of Congress, big city mayors, and a former federal cabinet official. Without a clear frontrunner, there is a real possibility that the Democratic vote will be split across too many candidates, sending two Republicans to the general election in a state that usually votes about 60% Democratic.

Democrats are starting to scramble; on March 3, the chair of the state Democratic Party wrote an open letter urging candidates without a “viable path” to the general election not to enter the race. The letter also asked candidates who do file to drop out by April 15 if they fail to show “meaningful progress toward winning” the primary. In a system vulnerable to vote-splitting, that kind of coordination becomes a rational, if uncomfortable, response.

California’s lockout problem isn’t new, and it doesn’t just affect Democrats. Both major parties have been locked out of major elections in California over the years….

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Note…

Democrats need one of their top polling guys to drop out…..