{"id":2578231,"date":"2026-03-10T14:37:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-democrats-eye-polling-plan-targeting-crowded-gubernatorial-race\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T14:40:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:40:27","slug":"california-democrats-eye-polling-plan-targeting-crowded-gubernatorial-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-democrats-eye-polling-plan-targeting-crowded-gubernatorial-race\/","title":{"rendered":"California Democrats eye polling plan targeting crowded gubernatorial race"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-democrats-eye-polling-plan-targeting-crowded-gubernatorial-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2578231&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California Democrats are pursuing a pressure campaign to narrow the gubernatorial field in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mamdani-victory-fuels-new-anti-israel-push-in-new-york-primaries\/\" title=\"Mamdani victory fuels new anti-Israel push in New York primaries\">crowded open primary<\/a>. The California Democratic Party plans six polls, funded with hundreds of thousands of dollars, with first results due March 24, to gauge the viability of eight Democratic candidates remaining on the ballot as the june 2 primary approaches, amid fears that vote splitting could hand the governorship to a Republican under California\u2019s top-two system. Party chair Rusty Hicks says the aim is to provide data for candidates, supporters, the media, and voters to understand the race, and has urged contenders to drop out if they have little chance; only Ian Calderon exited. Polls show Republican Steve hilton leading the potential primary, with no clear Democratic frontrunner. Analysts warn many Democrats are chasing the 20% threshold needed for a runoff, and notes about Kevin Kiley running as an autonomous and Darrell Issa\u2019s retirement add to the sense of shake-up. Hicks emphasizes that the party will act responsibly to avoid a Republican nomination, calling for candor about each candidate\u2019s viability.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">California Democrats craft pressure campaign to narrow governor&rsquo;s race field<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2517890\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>This week, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"60\">California<\/a> Democratic leaders crafted an initiative designed to address growing fears that a packed gubernatorial race could hand <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican\/\">Republicans<\/a> the governor&rsquo;s mansion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\">California Democratic Party<\/a> is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to conduct six gubernatorial polls, with the first results to be released on March 24. The development comes as eight Democratic candidates remain on the ballot ahead of the June 2 primary, causing concern that they will split the vote and send a Republican into the general election, since the Golden State&rsquo;s primary system is open to all parties and puts the top two finishers on the November ballot.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4485794\/fani-willis-trump-legal-fees\/\">Judge rejects Fani Willis bid to intervene in Trump $17 million reimbursement fight<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4477613\/tale-of-two-cities-san-francisco-los-angeles\/\">A tale of two cities: Why San Francisco is rebounding and Los Angeles isn&#8217;t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4481772\/steve-hilton-kamala-harris-security-detail-governor\/\">Steve Hilton vows to strip Kamala Harris of her security detail if he becomes governor<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Candidates have filed, and now they&rsquo;ve got the opportunity to showcase their viability, their path to win. I want to simply ensure that everybody has information to fully understand the current state of the race,&rdquo;&nbsp;Rusty Hicks, leader of the California Democratic Party, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2026-03-10\/california-dems-launch-polling-effort-to-winnow-gubernatorial-field\">told the<\/a> <em>Los Angeles Times<\/em>, which first reported the polling plan.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As the primary election approaches, the series of six polls will allow &ldquo;candidates, supporters, the media, voters, anyone and everyone to have a clear understanding of what is or is not happening in this particular race,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead of California&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-will-not-be-on-the-new-hampshire-primary-ballot-for-2024\/\" title=\"Joe Biden won&#039;t be on New Hampshire ... ... in 2024.\">candidate filing deadline<\/a> last Friday, Hicks urged Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls to drop out if they didn&rsquo;t have a realistic chance of winning, asking them to conduct &ldquo;an honest assessment of your candidacy and campaign.&rdquo; But only one candidate, Ian Calderon, exited the race. That means there remain at least ten candidates in the running &ndash; eight Democrats and two serious Republican contenders.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Public Policy Institute of California recently released polling showing Republican Steve Hilton would be the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-polls-favoring-gov-newsom-california-gop-committed-to-recall\/\" title=\"Despite ... Favoring Gov. Newsom, California GOP Committed to Recall\">top vote-getter<\/a> in the primary. There is no clear Democratic front-runner in the race, according to polling, marking another vulnerability for Democrats.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Every one of these Democrats is itching and clawing to get to that sweet 20% that would guarantee them a place in the runoff,&rdquo; Paul Mitchell, a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >leading political number-cruncher<\/a> in California, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/03\/09\/californias-governor-race-mess-00817776\">told<\/a> <em>Politico<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4484311\/california-shakeup-kevin-kiley-reelection-independent-darrell-issa-retire\/\"><strong>CALIFORNIA SHAKE-UP: KEVIN KILEY TO RUN FOR REELECTION AS INDEPENDENT, DARRELL ISSA TO RETIRE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/cadem.org\/open-letter-to-the-democratic-candidates-for-governor\/\">open letter<\/a> to Democratic contenders, Hicks sought to downplay fears that Republicans could capture the nomination, but conceded it remains a possibility.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While it is implausible, it is not impossible, and I know we are collectively committed to taking the steps required to avoid that possibility,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;We all have a duty to act in a responsible manner with the opportunities and support we have earned. I believe it starts with a candid assessment of the political landscape around you, an honest reflection on your viability to win the race, and the courage to make a tough choice.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CA Dems run polls to narrow governor field<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2578232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP23321723569078.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,75477,3685,4764,15698],"class_list":["post-2578231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-crowded-race","tag-democrats","tag-gubernatorial","tag-polling"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP23321723569078.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2578231"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2578235,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2578231\/revisions\/2578235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2578232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2578231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2578231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2578231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}