Tag: 2026 elections

Dem Infighting Worsens as Fingers Start Pointing in Heated California Governor’s Race

The warm California summers have nothing on the flaring tempers within the state’s crowded gubernatorial race.

And most of that bickering is coming from just one side of the political aisle.

As Democrats vie to get past the state’s unique primary system — wherein neither major political party is guaranteed to have a candidate in the final two — tensions are rising significantly between them.

As the New York Post pointed out, one of the contenders, California Rep. Katie Porter, is now trying to reframe one of her biggest campaign blunders as an indictment against a fellow Democrat.

Porter told CNN that she was “confident” that the unflattering videos that began circulating in October 2025 of her screaming at various aides and acting in other uncouth manners were ultimately leaked by billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer.

“I am confident that is the case,” she said.

Steyer’s campaign has denied this allegation.

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Dem Infighting Worsens as Fingers Start Pointing in Heated California Governor’s Race

The warm California summers have nothing on the flaring tempers within the state’s crowded gubernatorial race.

And most of that bickering is coming from just one side of the political aisle.

As Democrats vie to get past the state’s unique primary system — wherein neither major political party is guaranteed to have a candidate in the final two — tensions are rising significantly between them.

As the New York Post pointed out, one of the contenders, California Rep. Katie Porter, is now trying to reframe one of her biggest campaign blunders as an indictment against a fellow Democrat.

Porter told CNN that she was “confident” that the unflattering videos that began circulating in October 2025 of her screaming at various aides and acting in other uncouth manners were ultimately leaked by billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer.

“I am confident that is the case,” she said.

Steyer’s campaign has denied this allegation.

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Gavin Newsom reveals ‘break glass’ emergency plan to block Republican governor

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has a secret “break the glass” plan to prevent California from electing a Republican governor — though he’s stubbornly refused to make an endorsement in the race to succeed him.

The governor revealed the secret contingency plan to prevent two Republicans from advancing in the governor election — as polls show Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton near the top of the field in the packed race.

Newsom alluded to “action efforts” behind the scenes to make sure Democrats aren’t locked out of the governor’s race, saying he “making my case” to “encourage that doesn’t happen.”

Recent surveys show Democratic frontrunner Xavier Becerra and Hilton as favorites among registered voters, with billionaire Tom Steyer, Republican Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco and Democrat Katie Porter trailing a few points behind.

The top two vote getters in the June 2 primary election will advance to the November general election.

Newsom has repeatedly declined to weigh in on the race to succeed him.

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California Democrats deploy risky strategy to shut out Republican governor candidates

A growing number of California Democrats are embracing an unusual election strategy ahead of the state’s crowded gubernatorial primary: waiting until the final possible moment to cast their ballots.

The tactic is being fueled by anxiety within left-wing circles over the state’s open primary system, where the top two candidates advance to the November election regardless of party affiliation, infamously earning the name “jungle primary.”

With multiple Democrats splitting the vote and two Republicans performing strongly in polling, some progressive activists fear a scenario in which Democrats are entirely excluded from the general election, CalMatters reported.

The concern intensified earlier in the race when many Democratic voters rallied around former Congressman Eric Swalwell in hopes of consolidating support behind a single candidate.

Swalwell’s campaign, which at the time was gaining momentum as he lead polls among others his block, collapsed after multiple women accused him of sexual assault, reopening uncertainty among Democratic voters searching for a viable contender.

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Multiple Biden officials bash former Cabinet official, gobsmacked by their rise CA governor race

Former Biden officials are anonymously taking aim at one of their own, ex-HHS Sec. Xavier Becerra, as he appears to ascend in the California gubernatorial race.

Becerra has emerged as a leading Democratic candidate in California’s jungle primary for governor after Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s dramatic exit from the race last month.

His rise, however, is mystifying his former Biden administration colleagues, according to a report from Politico.

“Six former Biden administration officials, all of whom were granted anonymity to speak candidly about a former colleague, acknowledged the subject of Becerra’s unlikely rise has come to dominate their group chats and conversations,” Politico reported Thursday.

“‘It gets the biggest laugh every time we send around a poll,’ the first former official said, describing the perception across the administration that the former HHS secretary was ineffective on the COVID response, a migrant health crisis at the border and other matters,” Politico continued. “‘He ran one of the most consequential agencies in government at the height of the pandemic. But he took a backseat to Dr. Fauci and his team, didn’t visibly lead on implementation and had to go through layers to get to POTUS even as a Cabinet member.'”

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Cory Booker Admits Dems Are Coming for Supreme Court if They Win Midterms

Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, said this week that Democrats are still eyeing major changes to the Supreme Court if they win the Senate in November.

During a Tuesday appearance on “All-In with Chris Hayes” on MSNOW, Booker openly discussed “reforming” the court.

Host Chris Hayes noted that many Democratic voters increasingly believe “something has to be done” about the court’s conservative majority.

He asked Booker whether going after the court had become a priority for Democrats seeking to regain power in November.

“The Supreme Court is another example of an area where most Americans agree,” Booker claimed.

Booker then argued in favor of imposing term limits on Supreme Court justices.

“In addition, most Americans agree that Supreme Court justices shouldn’t sit on those benches until they’re so ailing,” Booker said.

“So, yes, we have to think hard about how we’re going to reform the court and bring it back into alignment,” he added.

He also accused the court of having eviscerated “years and years and years of progress” by ruling last week that states cannot gerrymander districts based on race.

Booker’s threat comes after years of Democrats and liberal activists openly floating proposals to restructure the court.

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Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race

In the wide-open race for California governor, billionaire Tom Steyer is on a spending binge.

The hedge fund manager-turned-liberal activist is using his personal fortune to saturate TV screens and mobile phones with advertising, while his competitors accuse him of trying to use his vast wealth to buy the state’s most powerful job.

Steyer’s ads — in which he promises to bring down household costs or rails against federal immigration raids — appear inescapable at times in heavily Democratic Los Angeles, the state’s largest media market. Data compiled by advertising tracker AdImpact show Steyer has spent or booked over $115 million in ads for broadcast TV, cable and radio — nearly 30 times the amount of his nearest Democratic rival.

If he makes it through the June 2 primary election, Steyer could easily eclipse the 2010 record set by Republican Meg Whitman, who spent $178.5 million in a losing bid for governor, much of it her own money. At the time, it was the costliest campaign for statewide office in the nation’s history.

Even when ad buys from all his major competitors are combined, along with ad purchases by independent committees supporting candidates, Steyer is outspending the field by tens of millions of dollars.

“Billionaire money is flooding our state in an attempt to buy this election,” former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, one of Steyer’s chief rivals, warned her supporters this month.

Mail-in ballots are set to go out to voters next month. Steyer is among a crowd of candidates hoping to seize a spotlight after former Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s dramatic departure from the race following sexual assault allegations that he denies.

But while Steyer has ticked up in polling amid his spending splurge, he has not broken away from the field, leaving some wondering if he’s getting value for his dollars.

“If your first round of ads doesn’t move you dramatically (in the polls), the third, fourth, fifth, six, seventh and eighth rounds won’t either,” said veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick, who for years advised the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. “There is something inherently holding Steyer back.”

In recent prior campaigns for governor, at this stage a leading candidate was taking control of the race. This year, voters appear to be shrugging at a contest that lacks a star candidate among seven leading Democrats and two Republicans.

“Somehow the campaign is frozen,” Carrick added.

History shows that money doesn’t always translate into votes.

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14-Year-Old Kid Runs for Governor of Vermont and Will Appear on the General Election Ballot

A 14-year-old kid has now qualified to appear on the general election ballot for Governor of Vermont this November.

Dean Roy, a freshman at Stowe High School who also works part-time at his parents’ pizza shop and served as a legislative page at the Vermont Statehouse last year, has become the first teenager under 18 to qualify for the state’s general election ballot for governor.

He did it by founding his own third-party outfit called the Freedom and Unity Party.

“I know it sounds crazy, a 14-year-old running for governor,” Roy said in a video posted to Instagram. “But honestly, look at the people in charge right now. They’ve been doing this forever and things still aren’t working.”

During an appearance on Fox & Friends Weekend this morning, Roy laid out a no-nonsense platform.

“Yeah, so the platform that I’m running on mainly focuses on housing, energy, healthcare, and education.

For housing, it mainly revolves around deregulating with regard to Act 250 and increasing taxes on short-term rentals, which are a very prominent problem in Vermont.

For energy, it’s nuclear power. If we were to reopen a nuclear power plant, we would secure energy independence.

And for education and healthcare, it’s auditing those systems, which are very inefficient in Vermont, and making sure that we get them to be efficient once again—and that they’re at a standard where Vermonters can both afford them and lower their tax bill.”

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WHAT’S IN CALIFORNIA’S WATER? Katie Porter, Another California Democrat Governor Candidate, Is Haunted by Serious Abuse Allegations

The race for the next California governor has been thrown into turmoil after Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign effectively collapsed under the weight of mounting sexual assault allegations and a complete loss of party support.

With every major Democrat endorsement now withdrawn, the race has rapidly shifted focus to the remaining candidates. At the top of that list for Democrats is former Representative Katie Porter—but her own record is now facing renewed scrutiny.

As previously reported by TGP, Swalwell’s political standing deteriorated almost overnight, leaving a sudden vacuum in a race he once led. That shift has elevated Porter into a leading position among Democrat contenders. However, unlike the narrative being pushed by much of the media, Porter’s background is not without controversy.

Porter has faced longstanding allegations stemming from a contentious divorce with her ex-husband, Matt Hoffman. According to court documents and reporting, both Porter and Hoffman filed domestic violence restraining orders against each other following a 2013 altercation.

Hoffman made serious accusations at the time, alleging that Porter engaged in physical and verbal abuse. His claims included allegations that Porter struck him, caused injury during domestic disputes, and engaged in degrading behavior.

Among the most widely cited claims were that Porter allegedly dumped a boiling pot of potatoes on him during an argument and shattered household items in a way that caused injury.

People make allegations against each other after messy divorces quite often, but if Hoffman, Porter’s ex-husband, was lying, it would not add up. Specific stories, like a boiling pot of potatoes, are much harder to fabricate and consistently maintain than general claims. At the same time, they would still be difficult to definitively prove.

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Eric Swalwell paid illegal Brazilian live-in nanny under the table with campaign funds, complaint alleges

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell — a frontrunner in the California governor’s race — has been accused of violating immigration and employment law to keep his illegal live-in Brazilian nanny in the country, according to a pair of recently filed complaints.

When his South American babysitter’s temporary work authorization was about to expire in 2022, he and wife Brittany Swalwell lied to the feds to keep Amanda Barbosa working for them, a new complaint filed Tuesday with the Department of Labor claimed.

Another complaint, filed to the Department of Homeland security in February and previously unreported, accuses Swalwell of paying the nanny under the table with campaign funds for a period of two years when she didn’t hold valid work authorization.

Barbosa appears in numerous social media photos with the Swalwell family throughout 2023 and 2024, indicating continued close association and ongoing childcare responsibilities despite the absence of known lawful work authorization,” the complaint to DHS, dated Feb. 16, alleged.

The embattled California gubernatorial hopeful first hired Barbosa, 33, in the fall of 2021 to look after his three children.

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