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Can’t win? Drop out: California Democrats plead with governor hopefuls as party fears Republican surge
California Democratic Party chair Rusty Hicks has issued an open letter urging gubernatorial candidates without viable paths to victory to drop out before filing, amid fears that a crowded Democratic primary field could allow a Republican to advance under the state's top-two primary system. The warning comes as the party faces its first wide-open governor's race in three decades, following Gavin Newsom's term limit. Party leaders are concerned that vote-splitting among multiple Democratic candid