California Democratic Party leader urges gubernatorial candidates to drop out if race is unviable

California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks on Tuesday urged gubernatorial candidates in a letter to drop out of the state’s crowded primary if they “do not have a viable path” to the general election.Hicks warned that with the state’s current primary system, which advances the top two vote-getters regardless of party affiliation, Democrats are risking being locked out of the November ballot, despite California being a solidly blue state.
“It is imperative every candidate conducts an honest assessment of your candidacy and campaign,” he said. “If you do not have a viable path to make it to the General Election, do not file to place your name on the ballot for the Primary Election.
“If you decide to file, be prepared to suspend your campaign and endorse another candidate on or before April 15th if your campaign cannot show meaningful progress towards winning the Primary Election in the coming weeks,” Hicks added.
The deadline for candidates to file to run is Friday, but the primary itself is not until June 2.
The warning comes as some polling has indicated that Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco are among the top five candidates because Democratic voters are split between a lengthy list of candidates. 
“The likelihood of two Republicans effectively ‘locking out’ California Democrats from the contest for Governor in the General Election is relatively low,” Hicks wrote. “However, while it is implausible, it is not impossible and I know we are collectively committed to taking the steps required to avoid that possibility.”
Among the top Democratic contenders to replace the term-limited California Gov. Gavin Newsom are Rep. Eric Swalwell; former Rep. Katie Porter; former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

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