{"id":877,"date":"2026-05-30T10:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T10:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=877"},"modified":"2026-05-30T10:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T10:30:19","slug":"a-becerra-steyer-race-in-november-its-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/california-relocation-journal.com\/?p=877","title":{"rendered":"A Becerra-Steyer race in November? It\u2019s possible"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

With just days left to campaign and polls putting him in an unexpectedly strong third place \u2014 maybe even second \u2014 Tom Steyer is down-not-out. But Riverside\u2019s favorite MAGA sheriff and Republican contender Chad Bianco is almost definitely shoulders-to-the-mat done. <\/p>\n

Read more Spencer Pratt says Jesus is his role model. His take on homeless people isn\u2019t Christ-like<\/a><\/p>\n

That means there\u2019s no chance of a Republican sweep in this blue state, and suddenly, what has up until now been a pretty dry governor\u2019s primary race has turned into one that has a slim-but-genuine chance at a surprise ending \u2014 two Democrats on the November ticket. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a low probability,\u201d political data guru Paul Mitchell told me, \u201cBut there\u2019s always a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

He puts it somewhere under 10%. But stranger things have happened. Spencer Pratt, for instance.<\/p>\n

Those of you who have hung on to your ballots like winning lottery tickets, and those who plan on voting in person, will largely decide what happens next: An Xavier Becerra-Steve Hilton top two is a virtual election for Becerra since there just aren\u2019t enough Republican voters in the state to carry a general election. A Becerra-Steyer face-off would force both candidates to define a vision of California beyond generic liberal ideas. <\/p>\n

Personally, I wouldn\u2019t mind seeing California have that Dem-on-Dem showdown so that voters of all parties (or none) have the chance to pin these would-be leaders down on the details of their policies. So far, this election has been light on the specifics, but the state faces real problems \u2014 from a failing healthcare system to gas prices that literally mystify even lawmakers. <\/p>\n

Everything changes when a candidate becomes a winner, so maybe it would be good for democracy to have an old-fashioned war of ideas in this moment when the future of California holds so many unknowns. <\/p>\n

Is Steyer just a billionaire dilettante trying to buy an office? Is Becerra beholden to the many corporate interests who have funded his campaign? Those are just the top-line questions many voters still have. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of shades of blue,\u201d pointed out Chad Peace of the Independent Voter Project, on a press call to support open primaries. \u201cWhen we only look at things as, \u2018Oh, there\u2019s red and there\u2019s blue,\u2019 we forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n

But voters remain nervous, and the ballot is still packed \u2014 along with the top three, former Rep. Katie Porter and San Jos\u00e9 Mayor Matt Mahan are still campaigning, though with falling support. <\/p>\n

Voters, Mitchell said, \u201care really thinking about the implications\u201d of their vote, and perhaps don\u2019t want to throw it away on a candidate they perceive as having no chance. That\u2019s why the new polls showing Steyer as a contender have the potential of stirring up momentum, especially for voters who originally saw themselves filling in the bubble for one of those candidates on the decline. <\/p>\n

Read more Fire-prone California could lose hundreds of millions of dollars for wildfire prevention<\/a><\/p>\n

Recent polls have put Steyer in a near-dead-heat with Republican front-runner Hilton, both hovering slightly above or below 20%. Becerra, the former California attorney general and a former Biden Cabinet secretary, leads them both by a few points, especially among Latino voters. As my colleague Gustavo Arellano has pointed out, Becerra would be the state\u2019s second Latino governor, after Romualdo Pacheco, who held the office for 10 months in 1875. <\/p>\n

\u201cA Dem-Dem race, maybe we\u2019ll get more people involved, because it\u2019s going to be a harder fight, you know?\u201d Diane McClure told me. She\u2019s a board member of the California Nurses Assn., which endorsed Steyer early \u2014 in large part because he supports a plan for single-payer health insurance, which that union has long fought for. <\/p>\n

McClure, of course, would love to see Steyer take the top spot in that easy-win scenario against Hilton, though that seems doubtful. But a Steyer-Becerra race?<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s a good thing, maybe it\u2019ll wake some people up,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

For his part, Steyer is staying the course. At a Sacramento stop Friday, he bounded around chatting with about four dozen mostly union supporters, wearing trademark Nikes, this time a vintage pair with a tartan plaid swoop. <\/p>\n

\u201cFour days,\u201d Steyer said when he finally took the microphone. \u201cI really need you to stand with me. But let me say this: you stand with me, I stand with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike his debate performances, Steyer is passionate, and, though it seems unlikely based on his television appearances, has an amiable charisma dotted with a fair amount of light profanity. <\/p>\n

\u201cMake a decent living, buy a house, have a great education for your kids, and retire,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to build here. We can easily do that. When people say that\u2019s not possible, bull\u2014, that\u2019s bull\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was enough to sway Ricky Carter, one of the few non-union members in the room, who was invited because his wife, Barbara, was on a prayer chain with another invitee. An older Black man originally from South Los Angeles, Carter represents a demographic where Steyer has growing popularity. <\/p>\n

\u201cI believe him. He got it right in here,\u201d he said, pounding a fist over his heart. \u201cIt ain\u2019t about no color, creed and race. … It\u2019s about the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, elections are about the people, though it doesn\u2019t always feel like it. But suddenly, this one does. <\/p>\n

Read more After heated debate, California updates key climate limit. Critics say it\u2019s a retreat<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer were to finish one-two in the primary, the Democrat-vs.-Democrat general election race would force both candidates to answer tough questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":756,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nA Becerra-Steyer race in November? 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