Ten candidates are running for governor of California

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It’s official: Eight Democrats and two Republicans say they’ve filed for the June 2 California gubernatorial primary, setting up a wide-open race in which two Republicans who have consistently led the polls they could protect all the other Democrats.

Here are the 10 candidates:

• Xavier Becerra, Democrat, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services and former California Attorney General
• Chad Bianco, Republican, Riverside County Sheriff
• Steve Hilton, Republican, Fox News contributor and former adviser to conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron
• Matt Mahan, Democrat, Mayor of San Jose
• Katie Porter, Democrat, former congresswoman from Orange County
• Tom Steyer, Democrat, billionaire businessman and former presidential candidate
• Eric Swalwell, Democrat, former Bay Area House congressman
• Tony Thurmond, Democrat, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Antonio Villaraigosa, Democrat, former mayor of Los Angeles and former Speaker of the Assembly
• Betty Yee, Democrat, former state comptroller

Steyer was the last to formally submit his candidacy on Friday, the deadline for filing applications.

Former Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon dropped out of the race earlier this week and endorsed Swalwell.

what’s next

The secretary of state’s office says it will review documents filed by his campaigns and release an official list of candidates for the March 21 primary.

The two candidates with the most votes in the primary, regardless of party, will advance to the general election. However, the two Republican front-runners enjoy more consolidated support from their base than their Democratic counterparts, who risk splitting the Democratic vote. At the state Democratic convention in February, delegates were so divided that no candidate received enough votes to gain the support of the party.

With the current field of candidates, there is a 27 percent chance of a Republican showdown in November, according to statistical model by Democratic Party strategist Paul Mitchell.

The prospect is troubling to many Democratic leaders, including state party leader Rusty Hicks. who earlier this week wrote an open letter urging those without a “viable path” to victory to withdraw before Friday’s filing deadline. And those who remained, he asked them to leave by April 15 at the latest if they did not make “significant progress.”

The call appeared to have gone unheeded, as eight of the nine announced Democratic candidates remained in the race. Even if someone drops out now, their name will continue to appear on the primary ballot as long as they qualify, risking draining votes from other Democrats.

Risk reduction

When asked about the risk of defeat in November at a gubernatorial forum Thursday, several Democratic candidates shrugged it off, though they insisted each would be the best choice for voters.

Villaraigosa told CalMatters that the Republican base will rally behind a single candidate when President Donald Trump gives his endorsement.

“When that happens, that guy will rise and the other (Republican) will fall, it’s that simple,” he said.

Of the Democratic panelists, only Porter acknowledged the risk of an overcrowded Democratic field.

“I think it’s horrifying to think what Trump would do to Californians if we had a governor who cooperated with him at all times instead of standing up for our California values,” he said. “So I don’t think it’s certain, but I think it’s a risk, and I think the stakes are very high.”