CA-GOV: Why Swalwell and Steyer are surging in California governor's race [View all]
SAN FRANCISCO — 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.
Three months later they’re surging, with poll after poll placing them among the top three Democrats in the race. Without better-known and better-connected candidates running, Swalwell and Steyer have capitalized on their passing familiarity and, in Steyer’s case, bottomless wealth, to create surprisingly durable campaigns with a real shot at winning.
Swalwell and Steyer’s campaigns got legs because there still hasn’t been a breakout candidate,” said veteran California political consultant Elizabeth Ashford, who was a senior adviser to two former governors and chief of staff to Kamala Harris when she was state attorney general. “It’s still on the table.”
In a state that has produced a run of high-profile governors with national clout — from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jerry Brown and now, Gavin Newsom — the rise of Swalwell and Steyer reflects a low-wattage and deeply unsettled contest. First Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla passed on running. Then state Attorney General Rob Bonta and billionaire mall magnate Rick Caruso declined. Former Rep. Katie Porter, an early frontrunner stung by viral videos of contentious interactions with a journalist and a staffer, failed to pull away from the field.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/21/swalwell-and-steyer-surge-in-wide-open-california-governors-race-00792365
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