San Diego Democrat urges exits in governor race
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More of the Democrats running for California governor should drop out, the head of the San Diego Democratic Party told Axios.
Why it matters: Congressman Eric Swalwell's exit from the race over sexual assault allegations that he denies leaves the field even more wide open, and Democratic party leaders want fewer choices to reduce the chances that the two Republican candidates advance to November.
Driving the news: "Every single candidate in this race should be asking themselves whether they truly have a path," San Diego County Democratic Party Chairman Will Rodriguez-Kennedy told Axios. "Even top-tier candidates should be asking that question, because coming in third doesn't mean much."
What we're hearing: Polls are published weekly so voters see who's on top, Rodriguez-Kennedy said.
- At the same time, Nancy Pelosi or Gavin Newsom may be quietly applying pressure to bottom candidates to exit, he said.
The other side: Thad Kousser, a political professor at UC San Diego, told Axios he thinks if Democrats were going to drop out, they would have done it already.
- "As we reach the final stretch of the campaign, this is the field that Democrats will have," he said. "Leaders may have tried to pressure people to drop out, but no one has budged, and that's their right."
President Trump's endorsement of Republican Steve Hilton relaxes the pressure on Democrats, because it makes it more likely that Hilton will be the top Republican, leaving space for one Democrat to advance to November, Kousser added.
As the primary nears and the Dem field remains crowded, Rodriguez-Kennedy warned that "the stakes are way too high for ego to get in the way of victory."
- "These are good people with real ideas, but they have a responsibility to the party, to voters and to the state to determine whether staying in the race helps or hurts the outcome."