Could Deep Blue California Elect a Republican Governor?

Gov. Gavin Newsom suggests Democrats have a ‘break-the-glass’ contingency plan to prevent Democrats from being ’locked out' of the governor’s race.

A grizzly bear is prominently displayed on the California state flag. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

As tensions mount in the high stakes race for California governor, early results show Republicans have returned more than 905,000 ballots ahead of the June 2 primary election—a massive surge compared with the last governor’s race during the 2022 midterms.

Ballots from Republicans made up 37 percent of the early ballot returns—up 11 percent from four years ago at this point in the primary process, while those from Democratic voters have dropped by 13 percent, according to a Political Data (PDI) poll released on May 16.