Time for some Democrats to exit

Every farmer knows there comes a time to thin the crop to allow the most promising plants to grow bigger and reach their potential.

- GEORGE SKELTON COLUMNIST CAPITOL JOURNAL

The same is true in politics. And it's now time to cull some Democrats from the dense field of candidates for governor.

Put another way, it's time for some lagging Democrats to step aside and provide more running room for swifter teammates in the race to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Sure, they've all got a constitutional right to run. But too many Democrats on the June 2 primary ballot could flip the California governor's office to a Republican.

You'd think that Democratic candidates now plodding behind in the race — with little realistic hope of catching up — would want to avoid having that on their conscience.

Party leaders, too.

Until recently, this nightmarish scenario for Democrats seemed inconceivable. After all, California hasn't elected a Republican to statewide office for 20 years. Roughly 45% of registered voters are Democrats. Only 25% are Republicans. About 23% are independents who lean left.

But do the math. There are nine Democrats running for governor

with various degrees of seriousness. There are only two major Republican contenders, plus a third lagging practically out of sight.

Remember, California has a “top two” open primary. The top two vote-getters, regardless of their party, advance to the November election. And only the top two. Write-in candidates aren't allowed.

It’s a matter of arithmetic.

In the primary, about 60% of voters will choose a Democrat, political data expert Paul Mitchell figures. That number of voters split among nine Democratic candidates could result in all sharing smaller pieces of the pie than what the top two Republicans receive. Mitchell estimates nearly 40% of voters will side with a Republican, with just two candidates splitting most of the smaller GOP pie.