By Eric Bradner, Arit John, CNN
(CNN) — The sexual misconduct allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell are damaging his hopes of winning the California governor’s race, with former allies revoking their endorsements and a growing list of prominent Democrats telling him to withdraw.
Less clear is who can claim the support he had amassed — and how they will do so.
“Now it’s pretty much back to ground zero,” said Garry South, a longtime California Democratic strategist. “I don’t know how this works out.”
The accusations of sexual misconduct published Friday by CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle scrambled an already wide-open field featuring more than a half-dozen well-known Democrats and two Republicans who have built notable support ahead of the state’s June 2 jungle primary. Candidates in all parties are competing in that primary, and the top two finishers regardless of party will advance to the November general election.
The list of other potentially viable Democrats in the race includes billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who has blanketed the television airwaves by pumping at least $110 million into advertising; progressive former Rep. Katie Porter; former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra; former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan; California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond; and former state controller Betty Yee.
“None of these candidates really have a lane,” South said.
Porter, he said, has not locked down the support of women. Villaraigosa and Becerra both are battling for Latino support. And Mahan has sought to offer himself as a more moderate alternative to outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s management of the state but has not broken out.
Steyer is wearing out his welcome with television ads, South said. But none of the other candidates have enough money to even compete in the advertising war.
“I’m sure that there are conversations going on in these other camps about, ‘How do we take advantage of the Swalwell self-immolation?’ But in order to make that case for themselves, they have to have money, and none of them do,” South said.
Becerra, the former California congressman and state attorney general who also served in President Joe Biden’s administration, told CNN it’s “a new day” in the governor’s race. Becerra said he and his team had expected the race would be shaken up in some way. Now, he said, the “shaking has occurred,” and voters will soon begin to pay more attention.
“The race is wide open,” he said in an interview. “Today is Day 1 of that new race, and we all move forward.”
The deadline to enter the race passed in March, so the field is set and ballots will be mailed to voters starting in May.
Becerra took light jabs at some of the other candidates in the race. He said he plans to run on his record in the roles he has held, not “inflated promises.” He said that his campaign waited to air its first ad until a few weeks ago because they don’t have “billions of dollars to spend,” a poke at Steyer.
“I am not the richest candidate. I’m not the slickest candidate,” he said. “But I’m the most experienced candidate.”
Polls have shown that Republican Steve Hilton, buoyed by an endorsement from President Donald Trump and a much shorter list of intra-party rivals, is well positioned to claim one of the top two spots. Democrats had long feared that a fractured field would give the race’s other prominent Republican, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, an opening to grab the s