California voters face unsettled primary races for governor, Los Angeles mayor

California’s June 2 primary exposed a deeper political warning sign than a simple fight over who would win: many voters said the field left them uninspired, even as the state’s biggest races tested the reach of Democratic dominance and the strength of the candidate bench.

The governor’s contest, with Gov. Gavin Newsom barred from a third term, drew more than 60 candidates onto the ballot under California’s top-two system. That structure meant the two highest vote-getters would advance to the November 3 general election regardless of party, leaving open the unusual possibility of two Democrats or two Republicans moving on from a state long defined by one-party advantage. Among the names in the mix were Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer, Katie Porter, Steve Hilton, Chad Bianco, Matt Mahan, Antonio Villaraigosa and Tony Thurmond.

In Los Angeles, Karen Bass faced a reelection test that was competitive enough to unsettle a city accustomed to incumbency carrying a clear advantage. A late-May UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll put Bass at 26 percent among likely voters, with Nithya Raman at 25 percent and Spencer Pratt at 22 percent. Another UCLA Luskin poll found 40 percent of likely voters still undecided, a sign that even attentive voters were having trouble finding a candidate who clearly matched the city’s frustrations over housing, homelessness and Bass’s handling of last year’s fire response.

The uncertainty showed up in participation. By the weekend before Election Day, about 13 percent of California’s 23 million voters had already cast ballots, a modest pace for a race that was supposed to clarify the state’s political direction. Los Angeles County had more than 400 official ballot drop boxes in the final stretch, same-day registration remained available through June 2, and ballots had gone out by mail more than a week and a half before the vote, yet turnout in the county was still described as sluggish.

That combination of low enthusiasm and weak differentiation matters beyond the headline contests. The Los Angeles City Clerk’s June 2 primary also covered city controller, city attorney, City Council and LAUSD races, and a dispirited electorate at the top of the ticket can easily carry down the ballot. In a state where Democrats dominate most offices, the challenge is no longer only winning primaries. It is convincing voters that the choices still mean something.