Sarah Bedford: CA Dems couldn’t find a candidate with credibility
Washington Examiner investigations editor Sarah Bedford said Democrats in California may struggle to find a compelling gubernatorial candidate for the November 2026 election. She argued that the party ended up with weak nominees in major races-Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt capitalizing on criticisms of incumbent Karen Bass over issues like the Palisades fire, drugs, and homelessness, including through sarcastic, pop-culture ads that Bass called “violent.”
Bedford similarly criticized the California governor contenders, pointing to Xavier Becerra’s backlash from his time as secretary of health and human services under Joe Biden, along with corruption allegations, and also noting that billionaire Tom Steyer is running as a Democrat.She described Democrats’ options as “unappealing,” and claimed California has been poorly managed, losing wealth and families while facing strains from a growing number of illegal immigrants.
Washington Examiner investigations editor Sarah Bedford said Democrats in California will be left scrambling to vote for a suitable gubernatorial candidate in November.
“Democrats couldn’t nominate anyone with charisma or any type of credibility,” Bedford said on the Hugh Hewitt Show on Wednesday.
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Bedford said that Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt and California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, the latter running on the Republican ticket, are giving Democrats a run for their money.
“It’s baffling because California is such a deeply blue state. They have such a deep bench of Democrats that it’s kind of shocking that they ended up in these two marquee races with two extremely weak standardbearers in Becerra and Bass,” Bedford said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been criticized for her handling of the Palisades fire and for how she has handled drugs and homelessness in the city.
Pratt, her opponent in the Los Angeles mayoral race, has widely played on these criticisms in campaign ads. His artificially-generated ads blend pop culture and sarcasm, highlighting the conditions people in the city face.
In one video, Pratt is portrayed as Batman, protecting the city from the Joker, who is portrayed as Bass.
Bass commented on the ad, calling it “violent.”
In the gubernatorial race, Xavier Becerra faced backlash over his oversight as secretary of health and human services under former President Joe Biden, and is also facing corruption accusations.
Billionaire Tom Steyer is also running as a Democrat in the governor’s race.
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“What you’re left with is two really unappealing Democrats in Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra,” Bedford said.
“You have a state that’s been poorly managed for years, that’s bleeding wealth, that’s bleeding families, [and] home to a growing number of illegal immigrants that are draining social services,” she added. “It’s really kind of astounding.”
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