Democratic Senators Split With Schumer Over Key 2026 Senate Primary Endorsements
Some Democratic senators are breaking with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer over his endorsement strategy for key 2026 Senate primaries, reflecting rising intra‑party tensions about how best to defend vulnerable seats. Those divisions mirror broader anxiety in California’s chaotic governor’s contest — with more than 50 candidates (24 Democrats who could split the vote), the possibility of two Republicans advancing under top‑two rules, canceled debates and party leaders urging weak Democrats to withdraw.
📌 Key Facts
- The 2026 California governor’s race is unusually chaotic and high‑risk in a deep‑blue state, with more than 50 candidates on the ballot and roughly 24 Democrats potentially splitting the vote.
- Under California’s top‑two primary rules, two leading Republicans—Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, both Trump supporters—could jointly advance to the November election.
- A major USC‑hosted gubernatorial debate was canceled after only six white candidates qualified under the selection criteria; excluded Black, Latino and Asian candidates filed discrimination complaints and USC said the dispute had become a “significant distraction.”
- California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks has publicly urged weaker Democratic contenders to drop out to avoid a November ballot featuring two Republicans, reflecting party efforts to prevent losing a statewide office.
- Democratic operatives express uncertainty about how to regain control of the race: consultant Dan Newman said he has “no idea” how Democrats do so, even though Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2‑to‑1 in registration.
📊 Relevant Data
As of 2023, California's population by race/ethnicity is approximately 39.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 34.7% White alone (not Hispanic or Latino), 15.1% Asian alone, 5.7% Black or African American alone, 1.6% two or more races, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, and 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, with a total population of about 39 million.
QuickFacts: California — U.S. Census Bureau
In the 2024 presidential election in California, Donald Trump received about 35% of the Latino vote, up from 28% in 2020, while Kamala Harris received 63%, among Latino voters who comprise about 30% of the state's electorate.
Why many Latino voters chose Trump in California election — CalMatters
As of February 2025, California's voter registration is 44.96% Democratic, 25.14% Republican, 4.10% American Independent, 1.00% Libertarian, 0.48% Peace and Freedom, 0.44% Green, and 23.88% no party preference or other, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by about 1.8 to 1.
New California Registration Data — Ballot Access News
In California, Black and Latino households are more likely to carry education-related debt (with 25% of Black households and 20% of Latino households affected compared to 15% of White households) and face higher adjusted poverty rates due to high living costs, with the supplemental poverty measure showing 17.2% poverty for Latinos and 19.8% for Blacks versus 11.5% for Whites in 2023.
California's high living costs and high poverty sharpen its economic divide — CalMatters
Since California's top-two primary system was implemented in 2012, it has resulted in same-party general election matchups in about 28% of congressional and state legislative races, but complete lockouts of one major party (e.g., no Democrat advancing) have occurred in only 5% of races, often in heavily partisan districts.
Some General Election Consequences of California's Top-Two Primary System — eScholarship (University of California)
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Details the 2026 California governor’s race as an unusually chaotic, high‑risk contest in a deep‑blue state, with more than 50 candidates on the ballot and 24 Democrats potentially splitting the vote.
- Identifies Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, both Trump supporters, as the two leading Republicans who could jointly advance under California’s top‑two primary rules.
- Reports that a major USC‑hosted gubernatorial debate was canceled after only six white candidates qualified under the selection criteria, prompting discrimination complaints from excluded Black, Latino and Asian candidates and leading USC to say the dispute had become a 'significant distraction.'
- Notes that California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks has publicly urged weak Democratic contenders to drop out to avoid a two‑Republican November ballot, underscoring party anxiety about losing a statewide office for the first time in about 20 years.
- Quotes Democratic consultant Dan Newman saying he has 'no idea' how Democrats regain control of the race, highlighting internal uncertainty about strategy in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2‑to‑1 in registration.