Skip to content 
What happens next will define California’s political identity for the remainder of the decade. The Republican opposition is already pivoting toward a new strategy that emphasizes the vulnerability of the Democratic frontrunner, and they have the resources to keep that pressure applied until the final polls close in November. Becerra’s team is aware that their victory in the primary is merely the first round in what promises to be one of the most expensive and vitriolic campaigns in American history. The “disarray” may have been paused, but it has not been cured.
The question of what will happen when the rest of the votes are finally tallied is the only thing currently occupying the attention of political pundits in Sacramento. Will those who felt disenfranchised by the primary process return to the party, or will they continue to sit on the sidelines? The answer will not just decide the governor’s race; it will ripple outward, affecting every down-ballot contest in the state and potentially influencing national trends. California has always been a bellwether for the rest of the country, and for the next few months, the eyes of the nation will be fixed on the fallout of this incredibly close, incredibly chaotic, and ultimately, incredibly consequential primary election.
