California Democratic Party chair urges governor candidates to ‘asses’ their campaigns

The leader of the California Democratic Party penned an open letter to his party’s candidates running for governor, asking the weakest members of the crowded field to seriously consider whether they have a path to victory ahead of Friday’s filing deadline. The subtext: an over-saturated field could do more harm than good.

He joined NBC 7 political reporter Joey Safchik on Politically Speaking to discuss the letter and the party’s inability to endorse a candidate in this primary race.

A transcript of the interview is below.

Safchik: We are within the 100-day stretch to the primary election in the California governor’s race. The Democratic field is crowded and competitive. That might sound like a good thing for democracy, but it could actually backfire because of California’s jungle primary. If the many Democrats split the vote, it’s possible — yes, even in California — that two Republicans advance to the general election.

The leader of the state’s Democratic Party, Rusty Hicks, is pulling out all the stops to avoid that. He wrote an open letter to the candidates, saying, “With the filing deadline approaching this Friday, March 6th, and the primary election quickly following, it is imperative that every candidate honestly assess the viability of their candidacy and campaign.” In other words, telling candidates to stand down if they don’t think they have a real shot at victory.

Rusty Hicks is here with us now. Thank you so much, Mr. Hicks, for joining us.

Hicks: It’s great to be with you. 

Safchik: So tell me why you decided to publish this letter.

Hicks: Well, the reality is that the stakes are incredibly high, and California’s leadership on the world stage is more important. Now more than ever before. And California Democrats are blessed with a deep bench of talent and a number of great candidates who bring a long commitment to service, both at home and abroad. And my letter is simply calling upon candidates to be thoughtful, to be responsible and honest with themselves and with all of us in assessing their campaign and their decision to move forward. There’s a filing deadline this Friday, March the 6th, an opportunity for them to assess and take a step back. But if they do file, I put forward an April 15th deadline for them to really think carefully about. Do they move forward into the heart of the primary election? At the end of the day, California Democrats look forward to electing another California Democrat as governor in November of 2026. 

Safchik: What do you consider a viable path to victory? Give me a definition for that.

Hicks: You know, I don’t provide, I don’t prescribe what viability means in my open letter to all of these candidates. The reality is that, as I mentioned, the deep experience that they all have, they have been in the political arena for many decades. And when they look in the mirror, they know whether they are a viable candidate or not, whether they have a path to the general election. And so I simply want to give them the opportunity to operate in good faith, to honestly assess their campaign, and make a decision as to whether they move forward or not. 

Safchik: Who do you think has a viable path to victory in this race? 

Hicks: Well, I certainly didn’t name names, in this communication either. The reality is, there has been poll after poll after poll, that place some candidates in one place and place other candidates in other places and in regards to the rankings, that is what we see. And if you’re at the bottom of that time and time again, my hope is that you believe and can showcase a clear path to be able to get to the top of that list. And so, you know, only, only time will tell. 

Safchik: You didn’t explicitly say to anyone, drop out. Why not? 

Hicks: No, I, you know, look, I have a deep respect for all of these candidates. First and foremost, they took the courageous step to put their name forward, to be considered by voters. They bring a great story. They bring a commitment to service. They bring deep experience and would serve in the role honorably. That being said, we do have some realities of what we’re facing. And it’s important that we all collectively, operate in a responsible manner, given that the stakes are so incredibly high. Could this be perceived at all as getting in the way of the democratic process? Well, I know what my intention was. Certainly the conversations that I’ve had both with these candidates and with other partners, around the state. I simply sought to put forward my message in a clear and transparent manner. So that’s certainly my intention. I can’t speak for the intentions of others. 

Safchik: Why didn’t California Democrats endorse a candidate in this primary? 

Hicks: Well, the reality is that I think California Democrats had the opportunity to hear from and connect with all of these candidates at our convention. You know, a couple of weeks ago ultimately came forward with no consensus, no endorsement–

Safchik: Is that indicative of what could happen in the election? 

Hicks: Well, I think it’s a reflection of where the broader electorate is. Much of the electorate is paid attention and is dispersed. Their support across a number of great candidates. There’s some portion of the electorate that’s just beginning to pay attention to this particular race. Look, I think that race will naturally narrow and winnow itself over time as we head into the heat of the primary election. I only sought, to call upon, gubernatorial candidates to be thoughtful and responsible as we move into the heat of the season. 

Safchik: Why is it vital, in your opinion, to have a Democratic governor succeed Gavin Newsom? And is that in jeopardy right now?

Hicks: I mean, look, there have been millions of Californians, tens of millions of Americans that have experienced the cruelty and the chaos of the Trump administration. And it’s been California’s leadership, not just Governor Gavin Newsom, but so many other California Democrats that have stood up and been a beacon of hope, to Californians and Americans across the nation, but in many ways stood up for democracy around the world. California’s leadership is more important now than ever before. And at the same time, the road to retaking the House of Representatives once again runs through California. And if we did not have a, you know, Democratic candidate for governor at the top of the ticket in November of 2026, you could see a potential impact, to those down ballot races, those congressional races that give us the opportunity to cut Donald Trump’s term in half and end some of the hardship that so many have endured over the last 18 months or so. And so, I’m committed to that. I know these candidates are committed to that as well. 

Safchik: Yeah, that trickle down effect is really interesting. Should you all have endorsed someone? 

Hicks: Well, the reality is, we walked away with no endorsement, the threshold to make an endorsement. It’s pretty high. It’s 60%. And with, you know, 8 or 9 candidates competing for that endorsement. You know, the math is what the math is. It’s pretty hard to get to 60% with that many candidates, especially those that have the deep experience that they have. 

Safchik: What about endorsements from big name politicians, Democrats from California? Do you think that would make a difference? 

Hicks: Well, you know, some leaders in California have already endorsed a candidate. Others have decided to wait until the field, you know, to see if the field alters and changes in the coming weeks. So it’s I don’t think the full weight of California Democrats or in one direction or the other, which, you know, gives candidates the opportunity to showcase their viability in the coming weeks. 

Safchik: You alluded to this in your letter, but a lot of these candidates have really impressive political resumes and not a ton of name recognition. What needs to change between now and June? 

Hicks: Well, certainly having a phenomenal story and having some deep experience is only beneficial if you can translate it and communicate it to voters that you have the resources to communicate across, you know, 20 plus million voters across California, that you have the, endorsers and support to help, validate the story that you are you are telling. So, there’s a lot of work to be done, but a, you know, an opportunity for those candidates that may not have had the opportunity to fully showcase that, to do so in the coming weeks. 

Safchik: What happens if the party doesn’t coalesce around one, maybe two candidates?

Hicks: Well, as I mentioned in my communication, there’s a low likelihood of potentially Democrats, California Democrats getting locked out of the general election. I do think the likelihood of that is slim. An incredibly low, but while it’s implausible, it’s not impossible. In fact, it is something that we have to be mindful of. Be aware of, and ensure that we are all operating in a responsible manner. Especially when the stakes are so high. 

Safchik: Have you heard from any of the campaigns since putting this communication out there? Do you think it’s going to be effective? 

Hicks: Well, I would say that only time will tell. I certainly did not expect them to read my letter and then say, well, hey, Rusty Hicks says, so we’re going to pack it in and head for the door. I, as I said, I respect all of these leaders who have a dedicated record of service to California and our nation. I give them the benefit of the doubt to assess their own viability at the end of the day. They’ve got the opportunity to showcase the viability of their campaign to ensure that they have a path to getting through to the general election. So I simply look forward to the continued conversations, in the coming days and weeks and then very quickly as a party.

Safchik: How do you delegate resources between this top of the ballot race and then all of those congressional races? 

Hicks: Well, certainly, retaking the House of Representatives is incredibly important. That really hinges upon the work we do here in California. But, you know, California has been fortunate in time, talent and treasure between the great grassroots volunteers that do that work every day. To be able to raise the resources to communicate a message with 20 plus million voters and 10 million Democrats here in the state, I believe, will have enough bandwidth to do what we need to do in November.

Safchik: All right, Rusty Hicks, I’m sure we will talk to you many times before then. Thank you so much for your time today.

Hicks: It’s great to be with you.