Swalwell donors are asking for their money back, and Xavier Becerra is already trying to turn that fallout into momentum.
This is California Governor's Race. Today: Becerra’s sudden opening, the donor backlash around Eric Swalwell, and the Newsom-world help now reshaping the field.
Good morning — yeah, messy money day.
It is. And Becerra moved first, so let’s start there.
From Arit John at CNN:
In the wake of former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s exit from the governor’s race, Becerra’s campaign is drawing support as a potential safe harbor for Democrats lacking a clear front-runner. Becerra offers a long record in state and federal government as well as a steady, if understated, presence amid a race shaken by scandal. A CBS poll published Monday had Becerra at 13%, with Republican Steve Hilton at 16% and Democrat Tom Steyer at 15%.
That’s the Becerra pitch, right there: steady record, low drama, hard to rattle. In this California field, “boring and credentialed” suddenly sounds like an actual lane.
And then there’s the Swalwell money problem.
From Sophia Bollag and Alexei Koseff at the San Francisco Chronicle:
More than 200 donors are seeking more than $1.5 million in refunds from former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign in the wake of allegations he sexually assaulted multiple women, according to an internal campaign document viewed by the Chronicle.
Swalwell’s campaign swiftly imploded earlier this month after the Chronicle published an April 10 article detailing allegations from a former staffer who said he sexually assaulted her twice when she was too drunk to consent.
Two hundred donors asking for more than $1.5 million back is a political evacuation. When the money wants out that loudly, the campaign is over — and the brand is radioactive.
Now, watch what Becerra is doing with that opening.
From AOL:
Just 35 days out from California’s jungle primary race in June, Xavier Becerra is beefing up his staff as he seeks to advance to the November election and take on Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton and Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer, Politico’s California Playbook reported.
The former Health and Human Services secretary under the Biden administration has reportedly hired Lindsey Cobia and Courtni Pugh, two political consultants who have worked with the current governor since 2015 and 2021, to serve as senior political advisers.
That’s a big late move. Becerra is trying to bolt the Newsom machine onto his campaign with five weeks left. And in a jungle primary, that kind of organizational muscle can be the difference between “front-runner” and “see you next cycle.”
We’ll put links to every story we covered today in the show notes, so if one caught your ear, you can dig in there.
That’s California Governor’s Race for Wednesday, April 29th. Thanks for listening. This is a Lantern Podcast.