California’s hopeless governor race
Will California finally have a candidate that shakes up the state’s political stage?
By SABRINA FIGUEROA — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu
After serving as governor for two terms, California Governor Gavin Newsom will be leaving office in 2027. With this comes a gubernatorial election later this year. Candidates and campaigns are sweeping the media — just not in the minds of voters.
With plenty of chaotic, depressing events currently going on nationally — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, unjust United States military operations and climate change — the California’s governor race has been drowned out by all the noise. With less than five months until the June primary, voters are still heavily undecided on who they think is the best fit to govern California: There’s no front-runner, yet.
The current race’s partisan makeup is not peculiar to California, with only two Republicans running against eight Democrats. The Republicans have Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News Host Steve Hilton, both common politicians for the current Republican Party. At the same time, the Democrats have former U.S. Congresswoman Katie Porter, former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and many more. However, these are common politicians in the Democratic Party, with many being left-of-center. This constant commonality beckons the question: Have voters grown tired of the same players, and are we looking for someone different for a change?
It’s no secret that the Democratic Party has been struggling to keep the support of their voters for a while, as many see them as “ineffective” or “weak.” We’ve also seen increasing support for democratic-socialist candidates recently, with more left-leaning policies than what most Americans are used to. For example, the newest Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani ran on a democratic-socialist slate, winning people over from all across the country and giving them hope during a dark time.
Suddenly, the question becomes whether or not it’s possible for California to have our own Mamdani-like candidate. This may be the change and type of candidate — charismatic, progressive and populist — that voters are looking for to provide them with what they’ve been promised.
Among the 10 true-to-party candidates, California also has some independents running. One in particular has caught the attention of many: Ramsey Robinson. Running as a Peace and Freedom Party candidate, Robinson has proposed a socialist program that aims to support working-class Californians through universal healthcare, housing and education. He also has a plan for divesting from Israel, addressing climate change and confronting racial, gender and LGBTQ+ inequality.
While this slate seems promising — and would be a progressive change many would welcome — running in a third party is what separates Robinson from the Mamdani-type candidates. As the two-party system in the U.S. usually leaves out independents, it is possible that Robinson’s whole candidacy will sadly be drowned out. Mamdani ran as a Democrat, giving him more publicity than an independent candidate. It's a strategic move, but it also makes clear that whatever change happens — in terms of the types of candidates — will have to be made within the Democratic Party, not outside of it.
However, the change will also have to be made with the help of voters. If our politicians are representative of Californians, this shift has to be a team effort. We have to want it enough for it to happen, and we must collectively begin seeing the value in moving more left, which would entail proper, strategic organizing and engagement with enough time to make an impact. Change comes with energy and time; it won’t come from a campaign organized a few months before the election. Sometimes we forget that we have to give ourselves hope as much as anyone else. We are the ones who give politicians the consent to govern — that’s power.
Written by: Sabrina Figueroa — sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu
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