Could Two Republicans Be on California’s November Ballot for Governor? |
The California Democratic Party’s state convention disappointed anyone hoping that the party dominating California politics for the last 15 years would offer concrete alternatives to the policies that have driven the state’s long-standing problems in housing, homelessness, utilities, gasoline, property protection, and private-sector job creation. And this disappointment has become sufficiently deep that two Republican candidates, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, are among the top three in polls, with only about three months to go before the June primary, which will determine the two candidates to appear on the November ballot. The two candidates receiving the most primary votes will advance to the November general election, irrespective of party.
Californians choosing between two Republicans for governor in an over-the-top one-party state? If this happens it will be because the Democratic Party has grossly failed to deliver on what Californians have been asking for: affordability and quality in publicly provided goods and services.
While some national political commentators the failure of the Democratic Party to deliver on what voters want, just one number from last week’s California Democratic Convention speaks volumes about the state’s lack of affordability: Ashley Zavala, one of California’s leading political reporters, posted a photo of her lunch receipt for two, from an espresso bar at San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center. A ham sandwich, a turkey sandwich, a bottle of water, and a soda totaled about $55, without tip, from a fast food vendor with no table service, or the free tap water that would have come with table service.
The convention was not so much a showcase for young politicians with new ideas as a stale resistance rally aimed at Trump, MAGA, and ICE, disguising the chronic lack of a productive policy agenda for California Democrats to promote to voters or to the nation.
The party’s failed states showed up........