Trump just handed California Dems an overnight gift with surprise endorsement: report

[LetMyPeopleVote]

There are a large number of Democrats running for Governor in California who have split the vote. There are two republicans running and right now these two republicans have been the top two vote getters in several polls. There is a risk due to the jungle primary that the two republicans could be the top two vote getters and would be the only candidates on the November ballot. trump's endorsement has pissed off the California republican party

Donald Trump has done the one thing California Republicans begged him not to do — and in doing so, may have handed the governor's race to Democrats, Politico is reporting.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-04-06T13:50:44Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-california-endorsement

Donald Trump has done the one thing California Republicans begged him not to do — and in doing so, may have handed the governor's race to Democrats, Politico is reporting.

Late Sunday night, Trump endorsed Fox News personality Steve Hilton for California governor on Truth Social, potentially delivering a fatal blow to GOP rival Chad Bianco's campaign and demolishing Republican hopes of keeping Democrats out of the runoff.....

The endorsement represents a stunning act of political self-sabotage. California Republicans had explicitly argued that their narrow path to the governor's mansion depended on Trump staying completely out of the race.

The strategy was simple: in California's "jungle primary," a large Democratic field would split the vote, potentially allowing two Republicans — Hilton and Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff — to evenly divide GOP support and advance to the runoff while locking out Democrats.

Trump's endorsement destroys that calculus entirely. By boosting Hilton, he makes it far less likely that both Republicans can split the vote evenly and keep Democrats out of the general election.

The political damage extends beyond the primary dynamics. Political data expert Rob Pyers of California Target Book explained the cascading consequences: "Trump's endorsement of Steve Hilton likely frees up tens of millions of dollars for Democratic groups who would have otherwise had to spend heavily to elevate one of the two leading GOP gubernatorial candidates to avoid a Democratic lockout."

[mopinko]

1. not sure it isnt the kiss of death.

but some of those dems need to drop out.

[Old Crank]

3. Can't get off the ballot.

Even if they drop out. The deadline was March 11 to not be included.

The ones with no chance need to get out and campaign for others.

Might have to do a write in like they did recently in Alaska.

[LSparkle]

2. Good!

Bianco is the Riverside County sheriff who seized ballots so he has some ‘splaining to do about that.

Hoping we can finally coalesce around one Dem to beat all the Rs in the primary.

[Old Crank]

4. Only need to beat one in the primary.

[LSparkle]

6. In a jungle primary we could have 2 Dems in the general

Love to see a serious race between Swalwell and Steyer or Becerra and Swalwell, etc.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. "How Trump's Endorsement in California Could Backfire Against Republicans"

Both of the two republicans in this jungle primary were on track to be the only two candidates on the ballot in November because there are so many good Democrats competing for the Democratic vote. trump's endorsement is going to hurt the chances of the GOP winning this race

“How Trump’s Endorsement in California Could Backfire Against Republicans” electionlawblog.org?p=155295

— Rick Hasen (@rickhasen.bsky.social) 2026-04-07T14:56:32.223Z

https://electionlawblog.org/?p=155295

NYT:

For months, California Democrats have worried about a doomsday scenario of two Republicans shutting them out of the governor’s race. President Trump, in one social media post, may have solved their problem.

By endorsing Steve Hilton in California’s June primary, Mr. Trump likely drove Republican voters toward one candidate and reduced the likelihood that their party will take both spots in the general election. That would help Democrats ensure they advance a candidate under the state’s nonpartisan primary system.

The race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cannot run again because of term limits, has been unusually messy this year. The large field includes eight prominent Democrats and two well-known Republicans.

Mr. Hilton has been running neck and neck with fellow Republican Chad Bianco, the sheriff of Riverside County, and the Democratic vote has been so fractured that no clear front-runner has emerged. Despite California being a deep blue state, several polls showed the two Republicans as the top two candidates, a scenario that had increasingly panicked Democrats…

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. MaddowBlog-Why Democrats were relieved to see Trump's endorsement in a key gubernatorial race

California Democrats were worried about being locked out of this year’s gubernatorial race — until the president inadvertently did them a favor.

Why Democrats were relieved to see Trump’s endorsement in a key gubernatorial race: In California's 2026 gubernatorial race, Democrats faced a significant threat due to the state's "jungle" primary system, where the top two vote-getters advance regardless of party. Wi… https://ranked.news/580213?u=b

— Ranked News (@rankednews.bsky.social) 2026-04-09T00:09:54.786Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/why-democrats-were-relieved-to-see-trumps-endorsement-in-a-key-gubernatorial-race

In the 2026 race, this has led to an unusual problem: While Democrats enjoy a nearly 2-to-1 advantage over the GOP in the Golden State, making it extremely difficult for a Republican candidate to win a statewide contest, there are eight prominent Democratic candidates hoping to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, while there are only two prominent Republicans.

This has opened the door to a scenario that has terrified Democratic officials and excited GOP insiders: Maybe the eight Democratic candidates will divide up their party’s base roughly evenly in June, winning about 8% of the statewide vote, while the two leading Republican contenders will also split their party’s base roughly evenly, winning between 15% and 17% of the vote.

Such an outcome would mean that the top two contenders, who would advance to the general election, would both be Republican candidates — locking out Democrats in one of the nation’s bluest states.....

It was against this backdrop that Donald Trump inadvertently did Democrats a favor. The New York Times reported:

For months, California Democrats have worried about a doomsday scenario of two Republicans shutting them out of the governor’s race. President Trump, in one social media post, may have solved their problem.

By endorsing Steve Hilton in California’s June primary, Mr. Trump likely drove Republican voters toward one candidate and reduced the likelihood that their party will take both spots in the general election. That would help Democrats ensure they advance a candidate under the state’s nonpartisan primary system.

Hilton’s intraparty rival is Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who likely hoped his recent seizure of election ballots would curry favor with the White House. Evidently, that didn’t work: The president instead backed Hilton, who, like so many others who have received Trump’s backing, is a former Fox News host.....

The endorsement “means, more likely, that one Republican will find their way to 20% support or more, and there will be a Democratic candidate in the race,” Mark Baldassare, survey director at the Public Policy Institute of California, told Slate. “That now becomes the most likely outcome.”

If Democratic officials in the state send a thank-you note to the West Wing, at least we’ll know why.