Something appears to be laughably missing in Politico's Saturday story about the June nonpartisan gubernatorial primary in California. Namely the front runner is a Republican, Steve Hilton, and another Republican is very possibly the second place candidate, both of whom would be facing each other in the November general election for governor.
Is it a mere coincidence that Politico writers Blake Jones and Lindsey Holden completely ignored them because they happen to have the taboo (R) by their names which are completely AWOL in "Why Swalwell and Steyer are surging in California governor’s race"?
NEW: CALIFORNIA POLL with @CaliforniaICP
— Emerson College Polling (@EmersonPolling) February 18, 2026
Steve Hilton (R) 17%
Eric Swalwell (D) 14%
Chad Bianco (R) 14%
Katie Porter (D) 10%
Tom Steyer (D) 9%
Xavier Becerra (D) 4%
Matt Mahan (D) 3%
Antonio Villaraigosa (D) 3%
Betty Yee (D) 2%
21% undecided
Watch: https://t.co/X1Ghupak8X… pic.twitter.com/AClOv7CB9j
Swalwell might even be behind another Republican, Chad Bianco, because the latter is in a statistical dead heat with Swalwell. However, the astounding possibility that the two Republicans could end up in first and second place in the June primary meaning there would be two Republicans on the November general election ballot to the exclusion of any Democrats seems to be utterly lost on the tag team of Jones and Holden.
When Eric Swalwell and Tom Steyer jumped into the California governor’s race, much of the political class rolled its eyes — two failed presidential hopefuls with seemingly thin bases and no track record statewide.
Even though Jones and Holden appear to be wearing absurd political blinders, Politico in December was very aware and worried about the real nightmare electoral situation that could be facing the Democrats, as we noted in "Politico Worries With Liberals Over Too Many Democrat Candidates = GOP Win in California."
"California Democrats have a math problem: They’ve added so many candidates in the race to succeed Gavin Newsom that two Republicans could end up winning the state’s quirky “jungle primary,” shutting the Democrats out."
With that sobering reality in mind it makes the Jones and Holden musings such as the following microanalysis paragraph sound like garden path detours into amusing irrelevance:
Swalwell has jumped ahead of Porter in several recent polls. And Steyer has climbed to the high single digits, into a statistical tie with Porter in some surveys, after blanketing every major media market in the state with ads. Steyer has already spent around $28 million of his own wealth campaigning — multiples more than any other candidate has raised — and restocked his campaign with another $9 million last month to keep the advertising onslaught going. He’s one of few candidates on the air right now, joined only by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, for whom a super PAC is trying to boost his low name recognition in Los Angeles.
Oooh! Oooh! Do you think Swalwell or Steyer or Porter or any Democrat even appear on the gubernatorial general election ballot due to the very real possibility that the two Republican candidates whom you have completely ignored come in at first and second place in the June nonpartisan primary ballot?
