‘Calamity’: Dems Fear Historic Calif. Gov. Upset
2nd April 2026
A crowded crop of Democratic candidates has liberal Californians worried it could lead to the deep blue state ending up with two Republicans running for governor.
California has a jungle primary system, where the top two vote getters advance to a general election and several polls have shown Democrats could split the vote among themselves, vaulting two Republicans to the top.
The state has not elected a Republican to the governor’s mansion since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.
“We know there’s this risk ahead, a 15% chance of calamity,” Paul Mitchell, a leading Democratic data strategist in the state, told Politico.
“It’s not a 15% chance of stubbing your toe, it’s a 15% chance of losing the governorship, losing the down-ballot races,” he said.
Democrats are concerned two Republicans at the top of the ticket could depress turnout, wiping out the gains they hoped to make after voting to redraw the state’s congressional maps to give their party additional seats.