Ballots for the primary election were released this week, and voters have until June 2 to cast their votes. The only consequential races on the state ballot are for Governor and Insurance Commissioner. I plan to vote for Matt Mahan for Governor and Patrick Wolff for Insurance Commissioner. Attorney General is a consequential position but the incumbent is nearly certain to be reelected, as is the incumbent Secretary of State.
The races for Treasurer, Controller, Lieutenant Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction are generally consequential only for the winners themselves because they get paid platforms from which to eventually run for governor, the offices themselves have next to no authority, and the governor can hold their budgets hostage if they ever get out of line. The frame I use for candidates in those races is whether I want any of them to eventually run for governor. I don’t, but if you feel compelled to vote for someone and would like to discuss, feel free to call or write me.
I hope you will tune in to tonight’s final gubernatorial debate on CNN. As I explain here, California’s governors have more power than ever. The race is down to GFC-endorsed Mahan, Establishment-endorsed Xavier Becerra, Bernie-Sanders-endorsed Tom Steyer, Elizabeth-Warren-endorsed Katie Porter, Donald-Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton, and CCPOA-endorsed Chad Bianco.
