Politico Worries With Liberals Over Too Many Democrat Candidates = GOP Win in California

[pjcomix]

That sound you hear could be the result of worry beads rubbing furiously against each other. It is an open question as to whether those worry beads are being rubbed by California Democrats or by Politico writer Melanie Mason or by both.

The source of the angst is that there are just too many Democrats running for Governor of the Golden State, with eight so far that have thrown their hats into the ring. And why should this be a cause for worry? Because since California has an open nonpartisan primary next June, such a crowded Democrat field threatens to divide that party's vote so much that the two major Republican candidates could end up in first and second place which would qualify them (and none of the others) to run against each other in the November general election meaning that no matter who wins, it will be a Republican.

Mason laid out that nightmare scenario on Monday in "California Dems confront a star-power vacuum — and a big math problem." The subtitle also reflects the Democrat (as well as Politico) panic attack over this scenario, "The prospect of a humiliating pile-up."

https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/pj-gladnick/2025/12/15/politico-worries-liberals-over-too-many-democrat-candidates-gop-win

[Hoodat]

Knowing how adept Republicans are at snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory, I predict the two GOP candidates finish 3rd and 4th in a field of 10.  As long as Republicans continue to place all their hope in Democrat missteps, they are doomed to lose.  Maybe if they offered an alternative to leading for a change and actually put effort into it, they might win a race.

[Cyber Liberty]

I think the "too many candidates" issue is more of a problem for Republicans than for Democrats, because The Reps are more likely to not vote at all if their chosen candidates lose in the Primaries, while Dems are more likely to vote for candidates they hate, for the sake of getting "their" candidate in.

[pjcomix]

I think the "too many candidates" issue is more of a problem for Republicans than for Democrats, because The Reps are more likely to not vote at all if their chosen candidates lose in the Primaries, while Dems are more likely to vote for candidates they hate, for the sake of getting "their" candidate in.

Actually this is the primary (June 2026) being referred to. The Politico/Dem fear is that with the field so divided among Dems in the nonpartisan primary, the two Republicans on the ballot could end up #1 and #2 on the ballot thus ensuring a GOP victory in the general election.