California progressives are staring down a self-inflicted wound in the June 2 primaries. In the Los Angeles mayoral race and the governor's contest, left-wing candidates are splitting the anti-establishment vote, potentially clearing a path for their rivals.
In Los Angeles, City Councilwoman Nithya Raman is challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who has the backing of Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom. But Raman's path is complicated by fellow progressive Rae Huang, a Democratic socialist who refuses to drop out. Huang commands 9 percent of the vote, enough to tip the race. A recent poll shows Bass at 26 percent, Raman at 25 percent, and Republican Spencer Pratt at 22 percent—a margin that leaves Raman vulnerable.
Huang insists she's not splitting the progressive vote, telling reporters she doesn't consider Raman a true progressive. That stance has earned her praise from Pratt, who called her a 'real one' compared to 'corrupt champagne socialists like Nithya.' The city's Democratic Socialists of America couldn't endorse Raman either, with nearly half its members backing Huang instead.
The governor's race offers a similar dynamic. Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer is running as a progressive against establishment favorite Xavier Becerra, who recently pulled ahead in polls. But Steyer is roughly tied with Republican Steve Hilton, a Trump-endorsed candidate, and trails Becerra by 6 percent. Complicating matters, fellow progressive Katie Porter—who once led the race before a staffer-berating video surfaced—remains in the contest with 7 percent support, siphoning votes from Steyer.
Porter's campaign hasn't released internal polling in months, but she recently claimed to be within the margin of error of Becerra and Steyer—a claim that doesn't match public polls. Her continued presence frustrates progressives who see her as a spoiler. As one observer noted, 'Voters unwilling to stomach a billionaire as the top progressive may defect to nonviable candidates like Porter.'
The state party apparatus quickly consolidated around Becerra after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out amid sexual misconduct allegations. Endorsements from Planned Parenthood and the California Medical Association followed—the latter requiring Becerra to renounce single-payer healthcare. This mirrors the Biden-style consolidation that Politico described: party leaders point, and the base follows.
But the left's democratic instincts make unity elusive. As writer William Liang put it, 'Progressives are more small-d democratic—people dissent, which makes any single left-wing candidate winning much trickier.' The result could be a wake-up call: either progressives learn to coalesce, or they risk living under a pro-Trump Governor Hilton or a corporate-backed Governor Becerra.
For now, the stakes are clear. A new poll shows Becerra pulling ahead in the governor's race, but the progressive vote remains fractured. In Los Angeles, Raman's strong local record—she won a competitive city council seat—gives her a real shot, but Huang's presence keeps the outcome uncertain. The top-two jungle primary system punishes fragmentation, and these races are a textbook case.
As the June 2 primaries approach, the left's maximalist tendencies may deliver exactly the results they fear most.
