Despite ending their campaigns weeks before Election Day, two Democratic gubernatorial candidates have together received nearly 1% of the vote, according to results released by the California Secretary of State early Wednesday, June 3.
Betty Yee, the former California State Controller, has received 25,130 votes (0.5%), while former Rep. Eric Swalwell has drawn 18,602 votes (0.4%).
With 43,742 votes so far, the pair is on pace to outpoll trailing candidates, including Democrat Tony Thurmond, who has 33,137 votes (about 0.7%). Combined, their total exceeds the individual vote shares of more than 50 other gubernatorial candidates and places them just behind Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa, who holds 1.3%.
If Yee, Swalwell ended their campaigns, why were they on the ballot?
Yee ended her bid for California governor on April 20, citing her and her campaign’s concern that, given her low polling, they would not have sufficient resources for her compete effectively in the election. She ultimately endorsed Democratic candidate Tom Steyer, a billionaire climate activist, in the race.
A little more than a week earlier, Swalwell on April 12 announced his plans to exit the governor’s race after allegations of sexual assault against him came to light.
So, why did Yee and Swalwell’s names appear on the ballot?
The California Elections Code does not allow candidates who have filed nomination documents for statewide offices, such as governor or lieutenant governor, to withdraw those documents, according to a spokesperson for the California Secretary of State.
As such, since both Yee and Swalwell filed nomination documents, their names appeared on the June primary ballot.
Where does the governor’s race stand?
In California, there is a top-two primary system in which all candidates are listed on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation, meaning there is the potential for two candidates from the same party to face off in the general election.
As of early Wednesday, June 3, Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News contributor, led the governor’s race with 27.8% of the vote, followed by Democrat Xavier Becerra, the former Health and Human Services Secretary, with 25.4%, while Steyer trailed in third with 19.6%.
Republican candidate Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco garnered 11.3% of the vote, while the remaining gubernatorial candidates lagged in the single digits. Three Democratic contenders — Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, and Villaraigosa — conceded on Election Night.
When to expect final results
Under state law, county elections officials are required to report the results for most ballots by June 15, or 13 days after the election, according to the California Secretary of State. However, some ballots can take counties up to 30 days to count every ballot and then conduct a post-election audit.
State law requires county elections officials to report final official results to state officials July 3. State officials then have until July 10 to certify the election results.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Yee, Swalwell near 1% of vote despite ending California governor bids
Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
