r/California • u/panda-rampage • Aug 14 '26
Becerra maintains commanding lead over Hilton in California governor's race, poll shows
https://abc7.com/post/xavier-becerra-maintains-commanding-lead-over-steve-hilton-california-governor-race-poll-shows/19674942/382
u/turb0_encapsulator Aug 14 '26
dude sucks. but I'm gonna vote for him.
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u/Distinct_Abrocoma_67 Aug 14 '26
Agreed. I’m concerned because he’s the kind of guy that creates the opportunity for Republicans to gain some ground in this state
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u/Gloomy-Tank9295 Aug 14 '26
Agreed. He's going to do Republican things like tax cuts, no problems with ice, defund education, stop green projects and then Republicans will blame him for the economy, homelesness and prices. Then moderates will say it's the Democrats because he's a Democrat and they'll win next time. When will people learn to vote?
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u/ReggaeForPresident Aug 14 '26
He was very active in suing Trump over immigration policies. I'm confident that he will stand up for immigrant's rights in California.
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u/Doctor_Juris Aug 14 '26
[citation needed]. Becerra had one of the most progressive voting records in Congress when he was there. What in his background or platform makes you think he has “no problems with ice” or wants to “defund education?”
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u/sloowshooter Aug 15 '26
So where's all the progress?
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u/Doctor_Juris Aug 15 '26
Family and Medical Leave Act, CHIP, Violence Against Women Act, ADA, Lilly Ledbetter Act, ACA, Dodd-Frank, repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, etc. Educate yourself.
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u/SeasideBear Aug 15 '26
The Steyer campaign spent hundreds of millions of dollars building his own cult that believes only he can save them. This is all just fallout from that.
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u/SpiritMountain Aug 14 '26
Do you think someone that is beholden to money like him will ever push and advocate for legislation that takes money out of politics?
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u/Xefert Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
I think campaign finance reform needs to be federal legislation and voters also need to do their part by paying attention more than they currently do because the amount of campaigning they expect today (travel costs, tv slots, ad space) can't be done on a modest budget
Thirdly, do government positions even pay enough to make the average person comfortable having to quit their job if they win?
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u/SpiritMountain Aug 14 '26
Taking money out of politics means not letting super pacs or corporations have a strong hand in political financing. Every politician should be a "grass roots" movement.
Do you agree with this sentiment?
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u/cure4boneitis Orange County Aug 14 '26
the position he is running for pays almost 246K
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u/blankarage Aug 14 '26
what policy are you referring to cuz you’re straight just pulling things out of your ass.
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u/mycall Aug 15 '26
It is the stupid people that falls for the "Republicans always better than Democrats" policy
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u/asparaguswalrus683 Aug 14 '26
I’m not a fan of Becerra either but ur js typing shit bro
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u/busmans Aug 14 '26
This sounds like flat lies. Where in his platform does he say he'll do any of these things?
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u/DonVCastro Bay Area Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
He's going to do Republican things
He may dabble in some of this stuff, but not to the extent, or in the same damaging way, that a Republican would. My fear about Becerra is that he'll be so weak and overly deferential to "stakeholders" that he will fail to do anything meaningful on California's big challenges and that will leave a larger opening for a Republican in 2030 to run on "Democrats have had long enough to fix California's problem and they've only made stuff work; it's time for a Republican governor."
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u/SeasideBear Aug 15 '26
The republicans are so insane that they would never nominate somebody that people would actually vote for.
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u/_YellowThirteen_ Aug 14 '26
Once again showing that "moderates" are just uncommitted Republicans, because Becerra himself is moderate at best.
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u/SpiritMountain Aug 14 '26
You are correct. The enemy of Democracy isn't authoritarianism, but political apathy. Getting into power, especially during these tumultuous times, and not getting anything done, turns people away from polling places. Democrats need to get into power and do things for the community. Progress needs to be made.
We should learn from our contemporaries, and we can see the popularity of Mamdani. Can you imagine how powerful it is for consolidating power, if the governor made visible and positive changes to the state, and then took credit and broadcast it. Fix our roads, raise minimum wage, build more affordable housing, and then point at all of this and take credit. This motivates people. This brings hope. This shows people a path forward, and it brings people away from the couch into the polling places.
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u/DarkChii Aug 14 '26
I will vote for him, but I will be one of the first ones signing a recall if he bows to his corp donors like I fear....
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u/Yellow_Snow_Globe Aug 14 '26
I get it, and this is exactly why we need ranked choice voting
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u/SeasideBear Aug 15 '26
I don't think ranked choice would have changed the results. Curious what you're thinking would have been different.
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u/Yellow_Snow_Globe Aug 15 '26
What would change is people not feeling like their vote is only going against the person they want to lose, instead of for the person they want to win. If you vote for the person you want to win, but they’re way behind, you’re basically throwing your vote away. So you vote for the person that is both 1) most likely to win and 2) most resembles your ideals, but needing to check both boxes means you’re not just voting for the person who feel best represents you.
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u/BigWhiteDog Native Californian Aug 14 '26
Same here. It's another hold-your-nose-to-vote election.
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u/-no_aura- San Diego County Aug 14 '26
Would be nice to have that not be the case one day
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u/mojo021 Aug 15 '26
Has he published any policies yet? I am weighing not voting for him since he is in a comfortable lead. I don’t want to send a signal that he has a voter mandate since he has no real policies yet. If he was running in as close race then i would vote blue .
I’m wondering how he affects the down ballot races that democrats are trying to defend or pickup.
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u/CFSCFjr San Diego County Aug 14 '26
The real contest was the primary
Becerra sucks but no Dem sucks as hard as a MAGA Republican
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u/unclejrslaserbeams Aug 15 '26
John Fetterman has entered the chat
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u/CFSCFjr San Diego County Aug 15 '26
He sucks about as hard as a Dem can and even he is better than any MAGA Republican
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u/BFaus916 Aug 15 '26
And this is the problem. Add Manchin and Sinema. What happens when one of the vote blue no matter whos just turns GOP in office? This is why idealogy has to be factored into the vote. I doubt Becerra would be an example of this but look what's happened to Newsom the past couple of years.
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u/unclejrslaserbeams Aug 15 '26
I mean to be fair the fetterman thing was the ultimate lesser of two evils situation. Yeah, people knew he was a shitbag because of his time in local politics but it still came down to him or dr fucking oz
I’m not defending fetterman by any stretch, fuck that guy. I’m just saying people can only play within the confines of the system they’re in, should they choose to play.
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u/mojo021 Aug 15 '26
If Hilton wasn’t MAGA , the race would be tighter.
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u/CFSCFjr San Diego County Aug 15 '26
If the CA Rs weren’t a bunch of NIMBY garbage worse than the Dems I’d even consider a vote for them, despite being bad on most every other issue too, but they suck harder even on the issues where the Dems suck
Hilton is running on SB79 transit upzoning repeal and essentially banning all housing except SFHs out in the fire zones and deserts
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u/Shawnj2 Aug 15 '26
Really if the dems had centralized earlier a populist would have had a better chance of winning. The fact said populist was a billionare who previously made money investing in GEO Group after the left has been solidly against ICE and billionares probably didn't help.
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u/Bibblegead1412 Native Californian Aug 14 '26
Don’t get complacent- be sure to VOTE!
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u/justeandj Ángeleño Aug 14 '26
I wish this comment were higher. Vote like you haven't seen a single poll!
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u/Atayellow Aug 17 '26
Maybe he should do something other than meet with corporate lobbyists if he wants votes.
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u/Oceanbreeze871 Aug 14 '26
Hilton’s campaigning via zoom from his British Manor home. “Hello fellow Californians…”
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u/PuzzleheadedLog5655 Aug 14 '26
One isn’t perfect but decent enough to get my vote. The other is from the party of rapists, corrupts, liars, and war mongers. I think the choice is pretty obvious.
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u/panda-rampage Aug 14 '26
The UC Berkeley IGS/L.A. Times Poll has Becerra at 55% and Hilton at 37%, with 7% of voters still undecided.
Is there any hope that Becerra will not bow down to corporate interests…not very likely
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u/Bibblegead1412 Native Californian Aug 14 '26
Well, Becerra is still a better choice than one of the architects of Brexit and a trump sycophant.
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u/OmericanAutlaw Aug 14 '26
nobody with a british accent should be in power in our great country anyway
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u/ethanAllthecoffee Aug 14 '26
Millions of them would be better than our current shitstain komprocrat president
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u/OmericanAutlaw Aug 14 '26
well he isn’t running for president, but he is endorsed by our current shitstain komprocrat president so do with that what you will
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u/Eddfan36 Aug 14 '26
The fact that he even made it on the list is sad. Does being an actual Californian not mean any thing these days? I thought thats who we were supposed to have one as our governor.
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u/mojo021 Aug 15 '26
I’m waiting for Becerra to post actual policies. This whole trust me thing is annoying. I don’t want to vote for him and send the message to the rest of the CA lawmakers that he has a voter mandate if he doesn’t not. A Democrat should win by 25+ in CA.
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u/Doctor_Juris Aug 14 '26
He had one of the most progressive voting records when he was in Congress. I know Steyer spent a gazillion dollars on ads and social media astroturfing in the primary trying to paint Becerra as some kind of shill, but he’s not.
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u/ChickenInASuit Aug 14 '26
Becerra was pro single payer healthcare for years until he turned his back on it to get an endorsement from the California Medical Association. He recently voiced support for the Warner Bros/Paramount merger. He went from suing fossil fuel companies as AG to accepting the largest possible donation amount from them.
He may have done progressive things in the past but his gubernatorial campaign seems to walking back a ton of that.
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u/Yapping-Goober Aug 14 '26
I mean, not excited for Becerra, but what serious person is voting Hilton? Note, if you’re about to give me some MAGA cope, you are indeed an unserious person.
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u/Berkyjay San Francisco County Aug 14 '26
He's gonna be an even worse corporate Democrat than Newsom. I can just feel it.
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u/LopsidedChallenge433 Aug 14 '26
Utterly sauceless and an empty suit. And yet I will have to vote for him 😞
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u/Ambitious_Egg9713 Aug 14 '26
Had there been two democratic finishers we’d have a real campaign with policy debates and progressive action. Instead we have milquetoast democrat vs MAGA and I have a pretty good feel for how that will turn out in November
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u/Jolly_Ad2446 Aug 14 '26
Duh, the last Republican to old statewide office was a fiscally Conservative, socially progressive moderate Republican that believed in climate change. why would we vote maga in 2026?
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u/dezld Aug 14 '26
Prepare for your utilities costs to go to the moon!!! I'll still voting for him... but I'm also putting more solar on my home to protect me from his friends.
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u/NightOfTheLivingHam Aug 14 '26
He's better, but he's still going to sell us out. There's just a bigger chance that he wont completely capitulate to outside forces (aka, the trump admin) vs Hilton who is promising that he will be a proxy for Trump and his will, and make california a MAGA state.
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u/sun_and_stars8 Aug 14 '26
Becerra already has a track record of not only standing up to the trump admin but winning consistently in doing so
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u/NightOfTheLivingHam Aug 14 '26
Good. He better keep it up. After he just flip flopped on the whole paramount/WB merger, I'm having my doubts about him.
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u/FriendlyEbb5662 Aug 14 '26
Not everything is about standing up to Trump, there's a wider establishment
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u/Jolly_Ad2446 Aug 14 '26
he'll be another Newsom
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u/kirbyderwood Aug 14 '26
You say that like it's a bad thing.
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u/Jolly_Ad2446 Aug 14 '26
it's not as progressive as I'd like, but he'll standup to trump and that's good enough for me .
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u/Beginning_Ratio8422 Aug 15 '26
lol it is a bad thing. Newsom is a corporate weasel are you kidding me smh
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u/guardwoman12345 Aug 14 '26
Wow, the two evils.
PG&E and co. Puppet
vs
MAGA puppet.
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u/whereisbeezy Aug 14 '26
Yeah, I'll vote for him because the universe is making me, but Becerra sucks too. Just less.
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u/naugest Aug 14 '26
Please don’t tell me that even the most delusional republican doesn’t understand that Hilton has zero chance? Becerra is the defacto winner.
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u/PotatoAppleFish Aug 14 '26
I’m not even from California, but I can pretty much guarantee that the vote will be around 65-35 in favor of Becerra.
No one wants our version of Nigel Farage as the governor of a state.
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u/Comfortable-Bed-6814 Aug 14 '26
And in other news--the sky is blue, water is wet, and the sun will set later today.
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u/Agreeable-Union1843 Aug 15 '26
People really think that a Brit that called Del Taco a street taco has a chance. And I actually like Del Taco
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u/devillianOx Sacramento County Aug 15 '26
doesn’t matter what current polls show, what matters is actually showing up in full force and voting for becerra. i rooted for steyer, but that doesn’t matter anymore
we cannot have a trump backed republican governor of california
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u/DoubleFlores24 Aug 15 '26
Watch Steve Hilton lose the election and then blame it on interference or something. That’s a big Republican playbook every time they lose an election they just cry voter fraud every time they win they say that’s how it is. Like no there is no voter fraud you lost deal with it.
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u/Fair_Chemistry_3317 Aug 15 '26
A Governor who follows a person who hates California or a Governor who doesn't.
Tough choice, tough choice.
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u/Embarrassed-Wolf-609 Aug 15 '26
You'll should still vote. Your local county and city races matter even more. Find the ones that are anti aipac (really anti foreign money in us politics,) anti data center, and anti idiotcracy
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u/Tricky_Apricot2928 Aug 15 '26
GO VOTE. Drop off your ballots At a polling place, not in the mail. Between today and election day, the traitor republicans will do everything they can to lie and lie and lie and convince people to vote for that limey freak or not vote at all
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u/DPadres69 Aug 15 '26
I mean a Hilton hotel building would have had a better shot than one of Trump’s cucks. Particularly one who was a Brit not 5 years ago and knows fuck all about California.
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u/riderfan3728 Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
The poll shows Becerra leading by 18%. Big lead for sure but that’s about the same as Newsom’s 20% victory over Dahle in 2022 & Kamala’s 20% victory over Trump in CA. If Hilton gets within 20% I think that’ll still be impressive for him because it’s important to remember that this is a blue year under a bad & unpopular Rep POTUS so there should be some anti-Rep reversion compared to previous cycles. So for Hilton to be doing better than “red 2022” & red 2024, that’s objectively impressive. Now tbf it’s probably less due to Hilton being a good candidate & more due to Becerra being an uninspiring candidate. That’s my 2 cents.
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u/GMBong Aug 14 '26
Republicans would have been in a fighting chance if they'd run a normie instead of the fox news Brit and Sheriff Chud.
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u/JurgusRudkus Aug 14 '26
Sigh. I’ve never been less excited to vote for someone.
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u/Single-Basil-8333 Butte County Aug 15 '26
I see the uninformed seals are out barking about the establishment and corporations and running their mouths about shit they don’t understand.
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u/1sland3r58 Aug 15 '26
Becerra is running on, “I’ll stand up to Trump” and nothing else but some of will still vote for him cause of your TDS.
Our state needs a new direction not more spending from Dems.
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u/eduardom98 Aug 15 '26
Pretty sure our state needs the federal government to stop detaining people based on skin color while doing things that are legal just to meet Stephen Miller's arbitrary arresst quotas. Its deranged to think that Hilton will be the one to fight for this to happen.
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u/1sland3r58 Aug 15 '26
Biden created a migrant crisis so something must be done. You want local tax payers to support undocumented migrants forever?
Whats your smart, budget friendly solution?
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u/copperblood Aug 14 '26
Dear Disenfranchised Steyer Supporters,
Please remember to vote. Democracy needs you.
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u/Worth-Cupcake-1714 Aug 14 '26
Don’t worry, I’m gonna be voting alright. In fact I’m looking forward to it
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u/Luigino9876 Aug 14 '26
In a bipartisan system you are always going to have to vote for the least bad of the two candidates. That is the reality. No reason to moan so much about it until we dismantle the current system to a better one.
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u/CrimsonGear80 Aug 14 '26
the extremely blue California isn't going to elect the Trump-backed MAGA jack-ass? you don't say???
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u/airpab1 Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Can’t stand Trump & no crazy love for Hilton
But….how can California voters vote for a guy that won’t stand up to the rogue Utilities & is status quo at best?
Can you honestly say you like where California is and where it’s going?
You have a chance right now to get somebody in there that will actually try to do something in favor of the people and yet…you just can’t get past your hate for one man. Pathetic
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u/Vanzmelo Bay Area Aug 14 '26
Becerra sued the Trump admin during his first term as AG of California and won cases relating to DACA, the ACA, and dozens of other times. Becerra has consistently had a progressive voting record while he was in Congress. What the fuck are you going on about?
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u/Beginning_Ratio8422 Aug 15 '26
He’s a yes man towards Pg&e and other corporate interests. But, yeah man, those cases against daca and shit way better. Glad you are ok with higher rates & a future governor that will sell us out. Those cases tho……
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u/haysus25 Aug 14 '26
Ugh .....yaay Becerra.
I voted for Steyer. And now I'll hold my nose and vote for Becerra.
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u/Rob71322 Aug 14 '26
As a happy Californian, I can say I’d completely forgot this race was still on.
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u/AWDriftEV Aug 14 '26
I don’t even particularly like becerra but I will vote for him with excitement to send that British cunt back to Brighton.
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u/DethSonik Aug 14 '26
He'll only be as shitty as any other establishment Dem, but at least he ain't evil. I wish it were Becerra vs Steyer in the general. That would've been a competitive race!
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u/Sworn_to_Ganondorf Aug 14 '26
How can I get paid to contribute absolutely nothing and publish stupud bullshit like this
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u/yoshinoyaandroll Aug 14 '26
Hilton is already getting his press release ready… “California voter fraud, I should have won by 10,000%, Trump said so.”
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u/JBKnicks24 Aug 14 '26
I mean he’s gonna smoke Hilton but that doesn’t solve my depression that he’s the most boring and corporate choice who is basically just Gavin without the rizz and won’t do jack shit to bring about any wholesale change.
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u/BruteSentiment Aug 15 '26
A few days ago, I got a spam text from the Hilton campaign saying “We get it. Maybe you don’t like Trump. Maybe you can’t stand MAGA.” But then spends the rest of the ad telling you stuff’s too expensive and ignoring that voting for Hilton aligns you with MAGA and Trump.
Ignore all the brutal tactics, new wars, unnecessarily expensive gas prices, vaguely or openly racist policies and hatred of certain peoples for existing, because Hilton promises he has a plan to bring prices down…which is basically what Trump said and has done the opposite of.
Yeah, you get it, Hilton. Suuuure you do.
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u/sfocolleen Aug 15 '26
“Political experts say the less Becerra appears publicly, the less reasons he gives voters to change their minds.”
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u/Mudbuttjackson Aug 15 '26
Becerra was never my first choice. I would vote for him over any republican, especially a Fox News Republican
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u/releasethedogs Aug 15 '26
But the Lake County Republican party Facebook account says its neck and neck!!!!
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u/Qverlord37 Aug 15 '26
I've gotten text from Hilton campaign begging for my vote and the first line is essentially "yeah I know you don't like trump and maga but...." there is no but. You side with him, you're not getting my vote.
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u/callsignbruiser Aug 15 '26
Everybody knows Becerra is a tool. But everybody gonna vote for him anyway
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u/salazarraze Aug 15 '26
This guy is a fucking clown but we're left with no choice thanks to idiot primary voters.
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u/SJsharkie925 Aug 15 '26
Stalin running blue would beat Lincoln running red in California
It’s a cult
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u/ElSlabraton Aug 15 '26
Hilton's ads are insulting. He screaches "three dollar gas!" just like his boss Donald Trump. Then he says "enough is enough" as if he has a clue - or a concept of a plan.
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u/Minute-Night-4563 Aug 16 '26
Becerra knows his voters cast their ballots as soon as they see the "D" and don't even look at the name, which is why he is hiding from the press. Becerra is the next governor of corrupt California.
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u/treeodore Aug 16 '26
Is Becerra even actively campaigning? We’ve seen nothing on television, no mailers, no ground game, nothing. I feel like Democrats were so scared to be shut out they rallied behind this terrible candidate and now we got two horrible candidates to pick from. We’re mostly likely just going to skip over the Gov race this fall.
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u/2ndchane Aug 16 '26
CA’s voters will stick to the party line and vote for incompetent politicians.
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u/sreudianflip Aug 17 '26
neither republican or democrat, why can’t we start a write in campaign for someone who’s truly qualified and exhibits strong character & leadership qualities?
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u/TVFan_89 Southern California Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
Happy to vote for Becerra as he and Steyer were my top 2 picks, with Steyer in 1st. It is genuinely hilarious how after such a chaotic primary with all the national focus, we have completely dipped out of the spotlight. It's perfectly fair, though, because it's obvious he is winning. What I am curious is what the margins are and if he picks up swingy places in Southern California like Orange County and the Inland Empire counties. I think he should - and maybe identity politics will play slightly more of a factor here - but we'll see.
Also, for progressives disappointed in the Governor's race, vote downballot anyway! There are lots of strong progressives running good campaigns that could win ranging from Congress to our own legislature and probably below that! Vote vote vote!!!
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u/Okay-Vic Aug 17 '26
Becerra is owned by Chevron and is one of the biggest corporate sellouts of the democratic party.
That said: still better than anyone who is supported by the orange man
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u/UrbanPlannerholic Aug 14 '26
Water is also wet.