California’s Next Governor Might Be More Irresponsible Than Newsom

In a state facing a long-term budget crisis, massive out-migration, and the nation’s highest poverty and unemployment rates, you would think that voters would want to throw the bums out. But this November, Californians are poised to elect a new governor who will be, if anything, more irresponsible than Gavin Newsom.

The Golden State is in for a competitive primary. Kamala Harris and Senator Alex Padilla have declined to run, opening the door for a relative unknown to seize one of the nation’s most important executive offices. The current uninspiring field is enough to make one yearn for the days of cranky-but-smart Jerry Brown, or even of the opportunistic chameleon Newsom.

The leader in the most recent Emerson poll was, of all people, Congressman Eric Swalwell, whose biggest asset is his anti-Trump reputation. That’s about all he offers; Swalwell is hardly a serious thinker or legislator. His greatest claim to fame, outside of repeatedly calling for Trump’s impeachment, is his former relationship with a Chinese woman, who, unknown to him at the time, may have been one of Beijing’s spies.

Slightly behind Swalwell in the polls lurks former representative Katie Porter. A law professor and long-time Elizabeth Warren acolyte, Porter is a far more serious type than Swalwell. Her mildly anti-Israel politics and her fondness for redistributive policies could have played well with the state’s Democratic primary electorate. But televised outbursts and her ex-husband’s nasty testimony about her conduct have undermined Porter’s candidacy.

Big-spending billionaire Tom Steyer has also thrown his hat in the ring. Steyer, who made much of his money investing in fossil fuels and private prisons, has morphed into a full-time environmental zealot and a hardline defender of the state’s climate regulatory regime. His entrance into the race is manna for consultants, as he will inevitably spend a fortune to promote his candidacy, now lagging at under 5 percent support.

Steyer’s focus on climate issues, which climate fanaticism plays well with the media and college crowds, may be less popular among working- and middle-class voters. Most assessments, including from government sources, suggest that higher energy prices hit poor communities hardest.

Read the rest of this piece at City Journal.

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Joel Kotkin is the author of The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class. He is the Roger Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and and directs the Center for Demographics and Policy there. He is Senior Research Fellow at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas in Austin. Learn more at joelkotkin.com and follow him on Twitter @joelkotkin.